Purposeful Talent Development: Develop a competency model that delivers

Well-designed and implemented competency models should identify key behaviors and describe actions that demonstrate a person’s proficiency in a particular area. But there is some debate about whether competency models are helpful in today’s world.

In my experience, the success of a competency model depends greatly on how it is used. An effective competency model is realistic in expectations, specific to the organization, and empowering for current and future leaders.

Here are four tips for developing a competency model that delivers:

1. Align It to Your Credit Union

Don’t simply pick a model off the shelf and put it in place in your organization. Instead, select competencies that are specific to your organization. Identify what behaviors your leaders need to support the organizational strategy and mission. Establish competencies that are critical to the success of the credit union, not just those that are popular or common practice. Since functional areas should know how their work impacts organizational goals, an individual should be able to draw a connection between the value of developing within a competency and the impact it will have on his/her role, the team and the organization.

 

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