Page 63 - Make Work Great

It Starts with You

FIGURE 2.3 The two components of capability

Sensitivities Skills
(of your work) (of yours)
Activity/
Practice

New New
Situation Information
Knowledge Skill
Develop-
ment

What you need to know from “out there” What you need to know “in here”
(e.g., changes in customer needs, (e.g., how to influence others,
funding adjustments for new year, how to get budget approval,
HR policy changes) how to promote an employee)

affect your work? These could be inside or outside your organiza-
tion—superiors, subordinates, customers, or support groups. Most
likely, your summary outputs share some sensitivities. As a manager,
for example, nearly everything you do will be impacted by employee
management guidelines set by human resources.
Next, consider the skills involved in each of your summary objec-
tives. What hard skills—factual, process, or technical knowledge—do
you need? What soft skills—interpersonal, conceptual, or execution-
related abilities—do you require? Some come directly from the work;
others fl ow from changes on the sensitivities side. In assessing your
own skills, objectivity is important. You may fi nd it helpful to imag-
ine you’re training a friend to take over your workplace purpose, as
a way of removing some of your personal bias.
Finally, ponder who might help bring you more information in each
area. Which coworkers have insight into the sensitivities you’ve iden-
tifi ed? Whom do you know who can comment honestly about your
skills? Maybe you have a friend in human resources or a close con-
tact at a customer site who can tell you about new policies; perhaps

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