Key competencies

Outstanding people understand which skills are necessary for a particular path. And they are willing to strengthen these in themselves.

Five key competencies form the basis for outstanding employees.

  1. Professional competence (knowledge, ability, interest, willingness to learn, quality awareness, ability to think, attentiveness)

  2. Personal competence (commitment, willingness to perform, diligence, reliability, resilience, stamina, attitude, flexibility, creativity, independence, willingness to change, innovativeness);

  3. Social competence (ability to work in a team, ability to deal with conflict, critical faculties, communication skills, negotiating skills, empathy);

  4. Methodological competence (problem solving, learning and working techniques, work behaviour, innovation, creativity, resource management, planning and organization, goal-oriented action);
  5. Leadership competence (commitment, loyalty, vision and strategy, motivation, networking, customer orientation, market orientation, service awareness).

Select the statement from each group that best describes your current situation. Only one answer is possible per group. You do not have to answer all the questions. You can skip individual groups or entire areas of competence if they are not relevant to you.

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# Professional competence ## My professional knowledge - I have no training yet - I am at the beginning of my training - I have completed basic training - I have completed higher education - My level of education is at the highest level ## Know terms and rules / quality awareness - I do not yet know the rules of my (aspired) profession - I know the most important rules and quality requirements - I know all the rules and quality requirements - I know all the rules and quality requirements and apply them - I check the quality of my work myself and constantly improve my quality standards ## Transfer of knowledge - I have basic knowledge, but can't apply it in practice yet. - I have basic knowledge and can apply it practically - I have comprehensive knowledge in my profession - I have extensive knowledge in my profession and can apply it professionally - My professional knowledge is up to date and I pass on my knowledge to others ## Information technology (IT) - I have little or no IT knowledge - I have basic IT skills - I have most of the IT skills required for my job - I have all the IT skills required for my job - I am up to date with the latest IT skills and pass on my knowledge to others ## Manual dexterity - I am still untrained manually - I have basic manual skills - I have all the manual skills required for my job - I have high manual skills in my profession - I have outstanding manual skills and pass them on to others ## Practical orientation, practical thinking - I am not yet good at putting my theoretical knowledge into practice - I can put some theoretical knowledge into practice - I mostly apply theoretical knowledge in practice - My theoretical knowledge is of great practical benefit - I am constantly acquiring new theoretical knowledge and converting it into practical use ## Thinking ability - I find it difficult to think abstractly and analytically - I can think analytically and logically in some areas - I approach most problems analytically and logically - I always approach problems analytically, logically and perceptively - I base my approach to problems on facts, keep facts apart, understand dependencies and provide practical solutions ## Attention - I have difficulty concentrating on one thing for a long time - I can concentrate on one task - I am able to concentrate on different tasks - I can recognize priorities in different tasks and work on them efficiently - I recognize priorities quickly and work efficiently on successful solutions without getting distracted # Personal competence ## Sense of responsibility - I do what I am told and do not feel responsible for the result - I report deviations when something is not going well - I recognize my personal limits - I communicate deviations and my limits and look for solutions - I understand the interests of the organization and customers and act accordingly ## Ability to make decisions - I do not yet feel able to make (professional) decisions - I find it very difficult to make decisions - I can make decisions independently in repetitive situations - I gather missing information in order to be able to make decisions - I maintain an overview even in complex situations and can make decisions accordingly ## Independence - I am still dependent on someone telling me what to do - I can work independently in familiar situations - I can work independently without motivation from others - I can work goal-oriented in many areas even without external stimuli - I am able to recognize complex problems independently and solve them without an order ## Commitment / willingness to perform - I do what I am told - I think what my organization does is quite good - I am willing to stand up for my organization - I recognize the meaning of my work and work with enthusiasm - I am prepared to go the extra mile for my organization ## Risk awareness - I am not yet able to recognize the potential risks in my job - I recognize dangers in my job and am afraid of them because I do not yet know how to deal with them - I recognize recurring dangers in my field of work and can assess them - I recognize generally known dangers in my job and can deal with them - I recognize potential risks at an early stage and can deal with them in a preventive and solution-oriented manner ## Diligence / reliability - I still make a lot of mistakes at work - I achieve good results with repetitive work - I know the quality requirements of my work and try to meet them - In most cases, I meet the quality requirements of my work - I work reliably and with great care and always meet all requirements ## Resilience / perseverance - I give up if something doesn't work - I make several attempts if something doesn't work - I know my limits and try to extend them - I stick to a task and finish it, even when difficulties arise - Even big challenges don't stop me from completing my work well ## Self-confidence - I still feel very insecure and this shows in my behavior - I feel quite confident in certain situations and I am happy about it - I recognize what gives me confidence and work on it - I feel confident in many situations and I act accordingly - I know who I am and what I can do and show this with my language and demeanor ## Self-knowledge - I know little about myself and cannot yet classify my behavior well - I observe my behavior and think about it - I recognize strengths and weaknesses in myself and want to work on them - I recognize my personal characteristics and know what drives or blocks me - I observe and reflect on my personal development and constantly develop new potential within myself ## Assertiveness - I avoid discussions because I don't have enough arguments - I have arguments, but find it difficult to assert my opinion in discussions - I can assert my interests, albeit often with great effort - I am able to assert my interests convincingly - I can formulate my interests clearly and assert them without hurting anyone ## Attitude, attitude - Problems strongly influence my thoughts, actions and well-being - I analyze problems so that I can understand them better and they burden me less - I look for possible solutions to problems - I draw confidence from opportunities and pass this on to others - I feel happy when I can solve problems and thus constantly open up new opportunities for myself and others ## Flexibility - I find constant change tedious - If I can see the point, I am prepared to make changes - I can adapt well to new situations - I am happy when I can switch from a tried and tested method to a new, even better method - I recognize the importance of high flexibility for the organization and am willing to grow personally in it ## Creativity - I do not feel creative - Creative ideas from others scare me - I sometimes develop new ideas - I often have new ideas and can implement them - I love coming up with new ideas and new solutions every day ## Independence - I need clear instructions for my work - I can do some of my work independently - I work largely independently and need little guidance - I can decide and act without outside help - I recognize the need for action myself, take the initiative and assume responsibility ## Ability to change / willingness to learn - I find it difficult to learn new things - I am willing to learn new things if necessary - I recognize that I need to learn new things and am willing to work on it - I reflect on my experiences and am willing to learn new things accordingly - I love to constantly learn and try out new things # Social skills ## Ability to work in a team - I prefer to work alone rather than in a team - I fit in well with a team - I contribute to the team and support it with my skills - I can take on different roles in the team - I contribute to the team with my skills and personality ## Ability to deal with conflict - I have trouble dealing with conflicts - I make an effort to resolve conflicts - I can recognize and address different opinions and interests - I know methods to ease conflict situations - I can resolve conflicts sustainably and develop a relaxed atmosphere ## Ability to take criticism - I have difficulty giving and accepting criticism - When I am criticized, I feel restricted and react with justifications - I am able to listen to and categorize criticism - I take justified criticism seriously and learn from it - I can accept and offer criticism and thus bring about valuable growth ## Communication skills - I have difficulty expressing myself convincingly - People listen to me on certain topics and take me seriously - I can listen and respond well - I can express myself well orally and in writing - I can use language, voice, gestures and facial expressions convincingly ## Negotiation skills - I try to avoid negotiations because I am afraid of losing - I negotiate when necessary - I prepare for negotiations by gathering and evaluating a lot of information - I am able to present my interests convincingly in the negotiation - I can recognize the interests and values of all negotiating partners and include them in the negotiation ## Empathy - I have difficulty feeling and recognizing my feelings and those of others - I can perceive my own and others' sensitivities - I can perceive and evaluate sensitivities - I can address my own and others' sensitivities in an appreciative manner - I can calm disturbed emotional worlds and lead to harmony ## Intercultural competence - I do not know what intercultural competence means - I am interested in cultural diversity - I understand different backgrounds of groups and individuals - I understand which patterns of behavior and language can be hurtful - I can communicate constructively with people from different cultures ## Social behavior - I avoid social contact with others as much as possible - I maintain social contacts in an empathetic and respectful manner - I maintain social contacts in an encouraging and stimulating way - I master the balance between closeness and distance for the benefit of all - I have a very winning and enriching influence on others # Methods Competence ## Problem solving - I do not know any problem-solving methods. - I can grasp a situation and framework conditions. - I can develop solutions. - I can plan and implement steps towards solutions. - I have mastered a comprehensive method for systematically solving problems. ## Learning and working techniques - I do not know any learning and working techniques. - I am curious about new learning content. - I can collect information and process knowledge effectively. - I can set priorities and structure learning content. - I have mastered a comprehensive method for learning and working techniques. ## Work behavior - I work on the basis of instructions from superiors. - I work carefully, cost-consciously and efficiently. - I work in a goal-oriented and effective manner. - I learn new things at every stage of my work. - I recognize the need for action independently. ## Rhetoric - I have difficulty speaking in front of several people. - I speak in front of a group when I have something to say and it is necessary. - I prepare myself carefully for the speech. - I can handle presentation techniques. - I love performing and can handle presentations and rhetoric with ease. ## Innovation / Creativity - I don't know any creativity techniques. - I recognize the importance of innovation and creativity. - I am willing to innovate and be creative in my work environment. - I know and learn innovation and creativity techniques. - I apply innovation and creativity techniques skillfully. ## Resource management - I do not feel responsible for work resources. - I know the available resources such as time, money, machines. - I use the available resources. - I optimize the available resources. - I expand the available resources through networks and synergies. ## Planning and organization - I do not plan and organize myself. - I get an overview of upcoming tasks. - I differentiate between the important and the urgent and plan accordingly. - I deploy the right resources and monitor the results. - I evaluate interim results and outcomes and constantly optimize. ## Thinking and comprehension skills - I do not yet know what I do not know (unconscious incompetence). - I know what I don't know and am ready to learn (conscious incompetence). - I have learned and now know (Conscious competence). - I know it and can apply it (unconscious competence). - I am constantly busy acquiring new knowledge and skills (Continuous development). ## Goal-oriented action - I have no specific goals in my work. - I set myself goals in some areas. - I always work with goals. - I concretize my goals with deadlines and priorities. - I work with clear goals, deadlines and priorities and constantly evaluate the results. # Leadership competence ## Commitment / loyalty - I hardly know the vision and values of my organization. - I try to understand the vision and values of my organization and act accordingly. - I identify with the vision and values of my organization. - I pass on the vision and values of my organization to my employees. - I love the vision and values of my organization and go through fire for them. ## Vision and strategy - I do not consider the development of the organization's vision and strategy to be my job. - I work on the development of visions and strategies. - I have in-depth expertise in the development of visions and strategies. - I understand the interdependencies in dynamic and complex systems. - I am able to think long-term and derive concrete goals and processes from the strategies. ## Motivation - I am not particularly good at motivating myself and others. - I can motivate myself and others with arguments. - I can motivate myself and others with enthusiasm and arguments. - I can motivate others by example. - I recognize the potential of my employees and can help them to discover and develop it. ## Networking - I do not feel suitable for networking. - I am interested in other people and organizations. - I make contacts with people from other organizations. - I maintain regular contact with my network. - I actively gather knowledge from network partners and make my own knowledge available. ## Customer orientation - Customer contacts are not my thing. - I maintain the necessary customer contacts. - I am interested in customers and actively maintain contact. - I find information in customer contacts that helps us to offer them added value. - I do everything I can to satisfy customers' wishes and needs. ## Market orientation - I am more interested in internal organizational issues than external market developments. - I am interested in industry-specific developments. - I actively gather information about industry-specific developments. - I know and understand the most important market developments. - I am able to interpret market developments and derive measures for my own organization.

Explanation of the diagram

If your competence is in the red zone: You have taken the first, important steps in competence development. Keep working on it. It’s worth it.

If your competence is in the yellow zone: You are already well advanced in your skills development. Don’t give up now. There is still further potential.

If your competence is in the green zone: Congratulations. You have reached an outstanding level. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and keep at it. This is where true masters are born.

The book “My profession – tailor-made” contains many tips and hints to help you systematically develop your skills profile.