510 management

Steps for Competency Sort Assignment

Cut the competency sort cards out and put them into a pile.

Place the card sort tally sheet on a table beside you.

Take the competency sort cards and put them into 4 piles bases on your current skill. One pile will include things you are strong at, the second one will include things you have some capability at, the third will hold a pile of skills you are weak at, and the 4th will be the pile you place all things you haven’t developed as a skill yet.

Now, take a moment and look over the skills in pile 1 and in pile 2. Be particularly hard on yourself….and be sure you’ve got those in the right pile. Very often we are a bit too generous with those skills we designate as strengths. When done, record your findings on the Card Sort Tally Sheet. Starting with the first pile (things you think you are strong at), go thru the pile putting a one by the skills on the Card Sort Tally Sheet. So if you think you are strong in delegating skills (number 14 on the sheet), you put a 1 there. Continue with all skills in that pile. Next move to the 2nd pile, 3rd, and 4th noting which skills fell into which pile on the Card Sort Tally Sheet.

You then reshuffle the Competency Sort Cards and begin anew. This time you are going to sort the skills based on the current job you hold. You are not assessing you in the job. Instead you are going to sort the skills based on how often ANYONE in the job needs to utilize the skill to do it well. Here you go thru the pile and this time create 4 piles. In pile one you will put all things that are Important or Essential in performing the job well. Next in pile 2. Be sure to differentiate the ones and twos! Next you will place the skills that are Important At Times, then Seldom or rarely important for pile 3, leaving those skills that are Not Important for pile four. Record these results in the second column of the Card Sort Tally Sheet.

Now begin thinking about where you would like to be in your career/professionally in 3-5 years. Then work at drafting a vision statement (see PDP instructions in the syllabus).

You then shuffle the cards one more time and think about the position you aspire to in your vision statement. What is that job like? What skills are utilized there? You then repeat just what you did in the last grouping. In pile one you will put all things that are Important or Essential in performing that aspirational job well. Next in pile 2 you will place the skills that are Important At Times, then Seldom or rarely important for pile 3, leaving those skills that are Not Important for pile four. Record these results in the second column of the Card Sort Tally Sheet.

When you are done you do two things:

1. Compare the differences between your current skill set and the job you have. Are you over challenged, under challenged , or balanced?

2. Compare your current skill set to the job you’d like to hold in 3-5 years. Will you be over challenged (need to grow some skills to be ready now), under challenged (not using your strengths in a future job), or balanced?