Strives to Be the Best, Continually Delivering, Measuring and Improving

Competency Dictionary Results This is one of the most common competencies and is used widely across a whole range of positions and organisations. It is also referred to as Achieving Excellence, Drive for Results, Results Orientation and Performance Drive and is all about a job holders capacity to deliver against pre-set targets or goals. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Strives to be the best, continually delivering, measuring and improving  Sets goals and works to meet them with energy and drive  Remains persistent when obstacles are encountered  Stays focussed on the end objective  Completes tasks and duties to a high standard  Creates a climate that relentlessly strives for excellence  Takes responsibility for own actions and encourages others to be the best they can  Uses initiative to develop goals for self and takes independent action to achieve results Interview Questions: Q. Describe a situation where you had to take many different actions and overcome a variety of obstacles in order to deliver a successful result. Q. Tell me about a project you were involved with which delivered successfully. What part did you play and what was the outcome? Q. How do you set goals for yourself and how do you measure against them?

Adaptability and Flexibility This relates to the ability and willingness to adjust ones behaviours, attitudes and routines in order maintain efficient and effective working practices in light of new information, changing situations and / or different environments. It is shown by someone who:  Demonstrates a willingness to try new approaches  Adapts personal attitudes and ways of working to meet the needs of different or new situations  Adjusts priorities, changes behaviour and responds with new approaches as needed to deal with new or changing demands  Maintains effectiveness in the face of challenges and change  Performs efficiently amidst continuous change Interview Questions: Q. Describe a time when you were able to stay focussed to complete a task despite obstacles being put in your way Q. Outline a situation when you demonstrated flexibility as a team player. What happened, what did you do and what was the outcome?

Analytical Thinking This competency relates to ones ability to think logically, to gather information, to analyse and interpret it effectively in order to understand issues and reach a conclusion. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Gathers information from a variety of sources in order to completely understand a problem or situation  Identifies the links between situations and information and understands the implications of trends or events  Thinks several steps ahead in deciding on the optimum course of action  Anticipates likely outcomes and considers all eventualities.  Is able to reach logical conclusions having analysed all options  Develops and recommends procedures, policy and processes based on results Interview Questions: Q. Describe for me a major decision you made recently referring especially to the process you followed and the methodology you used to come to your conclusions. Q. Describe for me a situation where you were required to gather a large amount of data, to analyse it objectively and to make a decision or a recommendation based on the results. Q. How importantly do you rate data and standard analysis tools such as a cost/benefit analysis when making decisions?

Building Relationships Also referred to as to Effective Networking, this competency relates to the ability to develop a mutually beneficial relationship between an individual or company and a client, supplier or customer as appropriate. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Uses professional and personal networks to generate and develop new and mutually beneficial partnerships  Identifies and refers to areas of common interest as a means of deepening relationships  Communicates openly, showing a willingness to understand others needs  Builds trust by treating partners fairly and ethically  Meets partner needs by responding to requests efficiently and effectively  Strives to gather information to further relationship building  Further develops relationship through the use of regular contact and personal meetings  Management involved in the setting up of an infrastructure that supports effective relationship building Interview Questions: Q. Describe a time when you had to build a collaborative relationship either within your department or outside in order to achieve a particular goal. What steps did you take to ensure this was a success? Q. Talk me through your ability to develop strong working relationships across this sector and with government and other regulatory bodies.

Communication Communication relates to the exchange of information from one person to another or others either verbally, orally or via actions. There are four parts to any communication exercise, originator, receiver, message and channel. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Develops messages using structure and logical order  Tailors content of message to meet the needs and interest of the audience  Conveys messages in a clear and concise manner in language appropriate to the receiver.  Checks understanding of the audience and adapts message and tone accordingly  Uses active listening skills including appropriate body language, reflecting back, being attentive and acknowledging  Uses most effective channels as appropriate to the situation  Builds and contributes to a culture that encourages two-way discussions and where information is shared at all levels Interview Questions: Q. Talk me through a situation in a previous position where you used your communication skills effectively. Q. Tell me about a time when you successfully conveyed your ideas to an individual or group so that they were able to understand and retain the message. (Healthcare) Q. Describe a situation in which your communication skills were essential to the effective care of a patient. What did you do and what was the outcome?

Coping with Pressure This refers to the ability to successfully maintain effectiveness while dealing with challenging situations. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Has a capacity to maintain sound and safe judgement and to keep functioning effectively during stressful situations  Is able to control emotions and take action to respond constructively  Takes time to analyse and understand personal stress triggers and develops effective coping mechanisms  Keeps issues and situations in perspective and reacts appropriately  Recognises personal limitations and displays a willingness to ask for help  Demonstrates behaviours that help others remain calm and focused during periods stress  Takes personal responsibility for initiating activities to reduce the effect of stress outside of the workplace Interview Questions: Q. Describe a time when you had to work exceptionally hard to get your job done. What did you do and what was the outcome? Q. Can you describe a situation where you had to take charge? (Healthcare) Q. Talk me through a time when you lost your temper or became frustrated with a patient, perhaps wh

Decision Making This is all about the ability to use available data and information, to consider all options and to making effective and accurate decisions. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Identifies and analyses problems based on a variety of internal and external factors  Makes accurate decisions based on pre-defined options  Always defers to guidelines, procedures and policy where available  Is willing to involve others and ask for contributions as appropriate  Is able to consider the implications of decisions across a variety of areas  Assesses external and internal environments in order to make a well- informed decision Interview Questions: Q. Tell me about a recent decision you made which required you to act outside of standard procedure. What were the circumstances and what was the result? Q. Tell me about a mistake or something you did wrong in your previous job. Q. Talk me through a complex decision you made, where the data was ambiguous or the information led to two different conclusions.

Developing Others This relates to the capacity to provide and foster an environment to further the professional and personal development of others and includes feedback, coaching and development opportunities. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Provides equal access to training and development programmes for all staff  Assesses individual performance, agrees measurable and clearly defined goals, allocates tasks to help develop skills  Shares expertise with team members to support continuous learning and improvement  Actively encourages and supports individuals in working to achieve full potential  Encourages team members to develop learning and career plans and provides coaching, counselling and mentoring to help  Encourages independent learning through the use of systems, strategies and initiatives  Provides long-term direction in terms of staff development and initiates and implements process to help staff achieve this Interview Questions: Q. I see from your CV that you have managed large teams in the past. Tell me how do you motivate your team to get the very best performance from them? Q. What is your view of mentoring as a concept? Have you used this before and how successful was it?

Empathy and Sensitivity Empathy can be defined as the identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives and relates to the ability to imagine yourself in their place. To show empathy is to identify with another's feelings and it is demonstrated by someone who:  Has the capacity and the motivation to positively embrace other's perspectives and to treat with understanding  Is aware of others feelings and reactions and takes time to understand them  Is able to interpret non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and other subtle expressions of body language  Is patient, giving others time to express themselves fully  Provides a caring, safe environment  Listens to others in a non-judgemental and supportive manner  Gives positive acknowledgement and refers back gently and attentively Interview Questions: Q. Define Empathy and describe a situation when you were able to empathise with someone. (Healthcare) Q. Describe a recent situation which shows your ability to communicate with a patient or their families at a level appropriate to them so that they had complete understanding.

Initiative In simple terms, initiative can be described as the ability to identify what needs to be done and then doing it before being asked or before the situation requires it. It is all about being proactive and seizing opportunities that arise and it is demonstrated by someone who:  Is able to work independently and to complete tasks without constant supervision  Has the capacity to spot an opportunity to improve a process without being asked  Acts quickly to address a crisis situation drawing on appropriate resources and experience with similar situations  Identifies likelihood of a problem arising and takes action to minimise the impact  Continuously looks to maximize potential opportunities in the future by drawing on personal experience. Interview Questions: Q. Tell me about a time when you showed initiative at work. Q. Describe a time when you identified a problem and then created a solution. What was involved and what was the outcome? Q. Imagine you were given a problematic and underperforming unit. What steps would you take to improve performance in this unit?

Interpersonal This can be referred to as a measure of a person's ability to relate and interact with others and includes the capacity to communicate wants and needs, feelings and thoughts and to learn how to interpret other's in turn. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Develops and sustains effective working relationships with colleagues, management and staff  Is willing to consider others point of view and shows an acceptance of others timescales, priorities and workload  Is able to build empathy and to recognise different values and motivation in others  Deals effectively with conflict and promotes participation or assistance in completing tasks  Works effectively within groups  Offers help and asks for feedback to identify own areas for improvement Interview Questions: Q. What types of people do you get along with best and worse? Q. Describe for me a time when you felt strongly about a particular point and your manager had an opposing view. How did you react and what was the outcome? Q. Tell me about a time when you felt frustrated with the progress you were making at work, maybe a time when you lost your temper.

Leadership and Supervision Leadership relates to one's ability to inspire confidence, excitement and commitment in individuals and teams so as to achieve a common end goal. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Communicates a shared vision in a clear and concise manner and ensures that all individuals understand what is required and the part they play in achieving it  Leads by example, displays self belief, builds confidence, inspires commitment and promotes belief in the organisation  Encourages individuals and the team to take ownership of goals  Makes decisions by taking into account the differences among team members and the strengths each member brings  Ensures the respective strengths of team members are used in order to achieve the teams overall objectives  Provides constructive and timely feedback and recognises all contributions  Shares successes and sets up events to enable others to share their successes and achievements Interview Questions: Q. Managing a large team such as this will inevitably bring challenges. Can you describe a situation where you had to reprimand or dismiss a member of staff. Q. How would you describe your leadership philosophy and describe a time when you have been able to use it effectively to develop a team so that they could deliver great results.

Negotiation Negotiation relates to the process of reaching agreement and the essential components are the existence of two parties who share an important objective but also have differences. The purpose of the negotiating process is to seek to compromise on these differences. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Prepares for and plans adequately, researching the other party and their likely position  Considers potential objections and prepares effective responses  Conducts the negotiation process efficiently, maintaining control and assessing others strengths and weaknesses  Takes action to overcome objections and miss-understandings  Understands and leverages personal attitudes  Moves towards a satisfactory conclusion achieving a mutually beneficial outcome  Formally records the agreement reached Interview Questions: Q. Describe a time when you had to use your negotiating skills to bring about a resolution that proved acceptable to all involved. Q. Talk through a situation where you realised that you had to be more persuasive in order to overcome objections to your proposals. What did you learn from this experience?

Organisational Awareness Organisational Awareness relates to the understanding of the internal workings, structure, processes and products of a company as well as external factors which can impact on performance including political, economic, and environmental issues. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Understands organisation charts and structures and is aware of where one fits within this structure  Can identify key decision-makers and management and can effectively use channels and networks to acquire information, assistance and accomplish goals  Is familiar with policy, procedures and guidelines and adheres to them when carrying out duties  Conforms to policy on confidentiality and data protection  Takes time to keep up to date with issues, business and operational plans and practices by reading newsletters, company web sites and bulletins as appropriate  Capacity to operate successfully across a wide variety of social, political and cultural environments and understands where the organisation fits within these. Interview Questions: Q. Describe a time when you were able to respond and react to external circumstances in order to complete your duties effectively. Q. Tell me about a situation which clearly demonstrates your ability to anticipate and deal with obstacles.

Persuading and Influencing This competency can be described as the process of guiding people toward the adoption and use of an idea, attitude, process or action by rational and logical means in order to benefit one or other or both parties. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Gathers and uses information persuasively in order to gain support for own ideas  Describes the potential impact of own actions on others and outlines the benefits for all involved  Builds a case that addresses the concerns and requirements of others  Anticipates the effect of an approach or preferred option on the emotions and sensitivities of others  Uses a range of approaches to win support and adapts discussions and presentations to appeal to the needs or interests of others  Persuades others by drawing from experience and presenting multiple arguments in order to support a position.  Forms long term relationships to maximise support Interview Questions: Q. Tell me about how would you go about persuading others in this type of environment? Q. Now tell me about a time when you had to influence a group of people in order to deliver one of your goals or to deliver a particular result.

Planning and Organising This is the capacity to organise and formalise information, time and goals in a well planned manner in order to achieve defined objectives. Can be as simple as making a list, right through to detailed specifications of entire business processes. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Identifies objectives and goals and uses available resources to meet them in the most efficient manner  Sets priorities for tasks in order of importance  Establishes goals and organises work by bringing together the necessary resources  Practices and plans for contingencies to deal with unexpected events or setbacks  Capacity to foresee problems, issues and to revise plans accordingly  Establishes alternative courses of action, delegates effectively, organises people and prioritises the activities of the team to achieve results more effectively  For senior management, the ability to develop both short term operational plans and long term strategic plans is key Interview Questions: Q. What techniques do you use to ensure that you complete your daily tasks on time? Q. Talk us through an example which shows your ability to organise your workload so that you achieve a proper work-life balance. What do you do and what do you use to support you?

Problem Solving This relates to ones ability to develop and implement solutions having considered a variety of alternatives and options. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Resolves problems by applying clear pre-set procedures  Deals with exceptions within established guidelines using clearly defined rules  Formulates alternatives, evaluates options and compares the risks and benefits of each and the impacts on others  Develops solutions that address the root cause of the problem and prevents recurrence  Recognises, and strives to resolve problems across a wide variety of projects and in complex commercial and non-commercial situations  Incorporates originality into solutions and assesses external and internal factors in order to implement them most effectively Interview Questions: Q. Describe a situation you encountered recently where you had to gather data from various sources in order to resolve a problem. What steps did you take and what was the outcome? Q. Describe for me a situation when you had to reach a conclusion by analysing a large amount of complex technical data. Q. Tell me about an occasion when you went out of your way or spent a significant amount of time analysing the cause of a particularly complicated problem, how did you proceed and what was the result?

Professional integrity This relates to ones willingness and capacity to adhere to accepted or recommended rules of conduct. These are relevant for all jobs but more so in Medicine, Nursing, Legal and Financial environments. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Is fully up to date with recommended ethical guidelines as appropriate to ones profession and as published by the relevant governing body  Avoids conflicts of interest and follows guidelines on reporting when breaches occur  Adopts a policy of honesty and openness when dealing with colleagues, clients, patients and relevant to the profession  Has confidence to challenge others who are flouting ethical guidelines and takes steps to address the situation  Understands professional expectations and offers guidance to colleagues and staff on how to maintain ethical standards  Takes responsibility for ones actions, shows willingness to admit to mistakes and to take steps to minimise risks Interview Questions: Q. You suspect that one of your senior colleagues has an alcohol problem however you have not noticed any deterioration in their level of work. What do you do? Q. Describe a time when you successfully challenged someone whose views you knew were incorrect. Tell me what happened and how you convinced them to accept your opinion.

Project and Change Management This relates to ones ability to initiate, manage and enable the process of change, using resources effectively and ensuring that benefits are delivered. This also refers to the management of the effects of change on the people involved. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Clarifies the potential opportunities and consequences of proposed changes and explains the process, implications and rationale to those affected by it  Applies standard project management principles  Anticipates potential resistance to change and implements approaches that address resistance  Has the capacity to build, motivate and lead a team to deliver against pre- set objectives  Takes responsibility for progress and initiates corrective actions where necessary  Conducts effective planning and manages resources, risks and issues efficiently  Delivers change successfully to quality and cost constraints Interview Questions: Q. Describe for me a scenario where you had a short time to complete a project and your team were not in agreement with your ideas. What did you do to overcome this obstacle? Q. What governance procedures do you follow when managing change? Q. Give me a recent example of your ability to facilitate and deliver progressive change within your organisation.

Strategic and Operational Management The process of determining an organisation's objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives and allocating and directing resources to do so competently. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Develops strategic and operational plans and policies in line with the organisations vision  Communicates a shared vision and ensures alignment of team goals with overall organisational objectives  Assigns resources and communicates roles and accountabilities to maximise effectiveness  Sets overall direction for how resources and assets are to be used in order to achieve the vision and goals  Monitors and ensures the efficient and appropriate use of resources and assets and takes corrective action where inefficiencies are seen Interview Questions: Q. How do you measure performance in your department and what initiatives have you implemented recently which were particularly successful? Q. How do you rate the concept of 'Total Quality Management' and is this important for you? Q. As you develop a strategic vision for this organisation what key criteria would you focus on?

Strategic Thinking This relates to the ability to develop a long term vision, to formulate effective strategies and to inspire commitment at all levels and while this competency is required at senior management level, all employees have a responsibility to work towards the delivery of this vision. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Develops and reviews personal goals and actions to ensure alignment with overall strategic vision  Interprets the strategic vision and communicates this effectively ensuring everyone understand sthe part they play in its achievement  Articulates the contribution each employee can make and instils a sense of confidence in doing so  Ensures that the strategic vision is to the fore when creating or designing new products, processes or procedures  Senior management to communicate the vision in compelling terms, to ensure universal understanding and to encourage commitment among staff and stakeholders alike Interview Questions: Q. Tell me about a time when you developed a truly effective strategy and what approach did you take to ensure that your team bought into your vision. Q. We are looking for a skilled manager to develop our people strategy. Tell me about your success in this area and in particular your ability to create and implement effective succession plans.

Systems and IT This relates to having an appropriate level of IT literacy and to be willing to participate in further training as required. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Is able to the use computers to complete tasks and carry out responsibilities as required  Is committed to developing computer skills and gaining proficiency levels via training programs such as European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)  Supervisory and management levels to support learning by providing staff with space and time to further skills  Senior Management to encourage an environment of continuous development and to reward exceptional results Interview Questions: Q. What systems and programs are you proficient in and to what level? Q. Which software have you found most efficient to complete ______task?

Team Working Team Working relates to successfully working with others, valuing and utilising the different skills and expertise of colleagues and building inter- dependence to achieve common goals. It is demonstrated by someone who:  Understands the goals of the team, deals honestly and fairly with others, showing respect  Listens to others views and considers them when making decisions  Is willing to give support to other team members and works collaboratively rather than competitively  Is sufficiently flexible and can re-prioritise and respond to challenges as required to meet team goals  Contributes to the team, communicates openly and shows willingness to discuss problems and issues  Supports and encourages other team members to achieve their objectives.  Team leaders expected to work to breaks down barriers and resolve conflict within teams and to encourage the sharing of expertise across other teams within the organisation Interview Questions: Q. Are you a team player and what role do you generally play in group situations. Q. Tell me about a time when you successfully built and led a diverse team of qualified and non-qualified individuals to deliver a significant project or task

Vigilance and Situational Awareness This relates to the ability to be aware of potentially dangerous situations and to take actions to prevent them occurring or worsening. Can also be referred to as Risk Management and it is demonstrated by someone who:  Uses past experience and best practice guidelines to identify underlying issues, potential problems and risks  Has capacity to identify developing situations and has confidence to initiate procedures to limit impact or outcomes  Identifies possible cause-effect relationships and develops solutions through training and development initiatives  Identifies possible scenarios regarding outcomes of various options for action  Considers recommended Governance guidelines when carrying our duties in order to minimise risk Interview Questions: Q. Describe for us a recent situation which clearly demonstrates your ability to anticipate problems and deal with them effectively (Healthcare) Q. Describe for us a recent Emergency situation you managed which clearly shows your competence as a Medical Professional. What did you do and what was the outcome?