Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): Results Driven

1. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to achieve organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility.

August 12th, 2012
For anyone that who might be interested, here was my answer(s).  I wrote this at the end of last May.

Accountability – While extenuating circumstances might often be apparent, one needs to set goals and strive for the attainment of such.  Should errors in judgment arise, all should recognize their mistakes and do their best to remedy any unwanted results.  Errors can often allow for learning opportunities but not if the parties are unaware of the mistakes.  Workplace efforts should be properly delegated and competently completed.  Mistakes should be acknowledged and remedied as part of furthering the knowledge base, if not merely to make things right.  Furthermore, accepted processes and rules require compliance and cavalier and unilateral actions can prove detrimental to proper workplace functions.  Failure to acknowledge mistakes and improper behavior allows for the proliferation of such unwanted behavior.  I am a believer of the ‘buck stops here’ mentality, though I am aware such an attitude may not always be the predominant attitude in the government workplace.  Nevertheless, mistakes inevitably happen. Blame should be irrelevant as should fear of accountability.

Customer Service – Meeting the needs of customers is absolutely necessary to display the value potential of an organization.  The continued inability of an entity to meet customer’s needs displays an entity that is no longer required.  Customer’s needs should be clearly determined through proper communication and negotiations.  Again, mistakes can happen, but output must be continually improved to meet the general norm of value required by the customer.  Every effort undertaken during my career has been customer oriented.  From my ____ Department experience to my entrepreneurial efforts, all my efforts are geared to help the customer better their situation.

Decisiveness – Impact and consequences of decisions must be reviewed to ensure goals are met.  Decisions should be made in accordance with the mission and vision of the organization.  Again, mistakes can occur but such also allows for learning opportunities to do better in the future.  Nevertheless, I do not fear making decisions.  I always strive to make well-informed decisions. 

Entrepreneurship – To maintain the ability to capitalize on new opportunities allows for the legacy and continuation of a worthwhile organization.  Without the ability to properly ascertain risks and benefits while acting in a profitable and timely manner reduces an organization to a relic of by-gone days.  I enjoy making workplace-related decisions particularly when such decisions are in pursuit of new opportunities.

Problem Solving – Efficient problem solving is a talent as well as a practiced art.  Technical competency to properly identify and analyze problems is crucial to the success of an organization in the modern era.  The ability to properly arrive at perceived solutions in light of the predominate variables and with regard to any given situation should be required of all managers in the modern workplace.  I pride myself upon developing processes to yield proper solutions and recommended courses of actions.  I view the problem-solving process as I would any collegiate engineering physical problem:  determine which are the crucial variables and which of these variables is unknown and needs to be determined or controlled. 

Technical Credibility – Technical credibility is a major link in the problem-solving chain.  Obviously, if one has no specialized experience or qualifications relevant to the subject matter, that individual should not be making uninformed decisions on the subject. I believe I have the required technical credibility on a wide range of subjects.  From engineering to economics to dealing with others, I prefer to deal from a position of knowledge and never from a position of ignorance.  

Adam Trotter