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Competencies

Competencies

It's always helpful to be clear about what's expected of you. Competencies are the skills, knowledge and behaviors required to accomplish your goals.

Our Core Competencies

Delivers on commitments to achieve goals with the highest level of ethics and integrity. Takes ownership of results - good or bad. Holds others accountable for achieving results.

Remains calm under pressure. Does not become defensive or irritated when times are tough. Can manage difficult, tense situations while maintaining credibility. Does not show frustration when challenged, confronted or in the face of resistance.

Productively confronts difficult issues, making valiant choices and taking bold actions in the face of opposition. Takes a stand. Challenges popular values, opinions and decisions to ensure that actions taken are in the university and/or unit’s best interests. Diplomatically says what needs to be said even in the face of pressure or conflict. Takes critical action to achieve breakthrough results or changes despite the uncertainty or challenge. Confronts difficult problems early.

Demonstrates awareness of own strengths development needs and shows commitment to self-growth. Actively identifies new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities, pursuing development experiences to improve interpersonal and business impact. Creates a work environment where people want to do their best. Supports and encourages others to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviors for the wider benefit of the organization. Is aware of team members’ career goals and creates compelling development plans and executes them. Provides feedback, instruction and development guidance helping others to excel in current or future job responsibilities.

Works effectively with a wide range of people; sets a culture that leverages differences and supports diversity. Is respectful of people and their different values; encourages and values diverse points of view and differing opinions. Recruits high-quality diverse staff.

Contributes to a positive work environment where all team members are treated with dignity and respect; a safe environment that allows team members to be creative, productive, valued and appreciated to foster positive relationships. Shares in an atmosphere of open communication, collaboration, making mistakes, expressing concerns, and positioning problems as opportunities to learn together.

Empathizes with team members to help foster engagement, collaboration and team member connections. Genuinely cares about people; is concerned about their work and non-work problems; is available and ready to help. Sympathetic to the plight of others not as fortunate

Demonstrates a growth mindset - believing that individuals can learn, change and improve. Integrates new information and tries new things. Handles change well and open to new ideas. Recovers from failures and sees new opportunities for improvement. Maintains a positive attitude through difficult times.

Understands the university’s vision, mission and operations. Maneuvers through our complexity. Connects team members work to the university’s mission. Considers the university’s needs and priorities when making decisions and makes the necessary trade-offs on behalf of the university.


View list  of GPS Core Competencies.

View list of Performance Management at Stanford (PM@S) Competencies.

Your School/Business Unit Competencies

Your school or business unit may have selected several standard behavioral competencies out of this list, and your manager may select additional competencies for you to also be evaluated on.

We recommend each employee be evaluated on three to five competencies each year. You may continue to work on the same competencies from year-to-year or work on different ones each year. Either way, selecting behavioral competencies requires that you and your manager are clear on the definitions, as well as what specific expectations exist for how you model your competencies in your work.

You and your manager should discuss these competencies during all three phases of Grow and Perform at Stanford process: Plan and Align, Coach and Feedback, Review and Recognize.

View competencies for the following schools/units: