Staff Production CEO/VP Profile:
Compare High Performers to Low Producers

STAFF ORIENTATION

Maintains a high level of competence in an important business function as a source of information, expertise, advice, and follow-up support to influence and assist in the decisions made by line managers; senses how his area of expertise can advance the business goals of revenue and profit generation and/or cost reduction; contributes a constructive influence in the corporate organization using indirect influence skills to build consensus and persuade others to make cooperative decisions, even in the face of conflict and confrontation; seeks a course that softens the negative impact on others without being diverted from his objective

HIGHS

• Works to maximize team effectiveness by adopting a participative style of management that keeps all constituents informed and included in the loop
• Prefers consensus to individual action and influences line decisions by providing expert or specialized input that shapes or supports those decisions
• Is willing to find a compromise to alleviate competing or conflicting issues that can be raised by various factions within the organization
• Manages a staff function to generate state-of-the-art competence and information
• Motivates innovative thinking to create new advances in expertise and capacity that increase his function’s value and influence in the organization
• Demonstrates a valid concern for the perspective and sensitivities of peers, subordinates and superiors whose actions or decisions are significantly influenced by his support and recommendations

LOWS

• Seeks a role of power or control and is eager to have the last word on corporate decisions
• Wants to establish himself as an individual contributor and seeks the opportunity to personally produce specific outputs rather than limit his contribution to a supporting or advisory role
• Sticks to his own perception of the best solution rather than present alternative options for review and decision by line management
• Is driven to fine-tune an existing system or function, but tends to resist change when the organization refocuses and needs to address major change or expansion
• Typically has not acquired the depth of technical expertise or experience to tackle intricate areas of any one specialization in the business
• Lacks an awareness of or sensitivity to how peers, subordinates, or superiors may react to his input or counsel and does not anticipate or prepare for the impact he can have on others

PRODUCTION APPROACH

Focuses on measurable and near-term results and outputs; emphasizes efficiency, cost control and refinement of the processes and procedures that produce incremental gains; controls risk by modifying existing systems to increase productivity versus launching an unproven idea; consistently applies a methodology that is working and will not change or abandon that approach for the sake of trying something different; promotes the desired approach and enlists participation by authoritatively demonstrating its benefits and logically responding to questions and concerns, so those involved can understand and will not feel threatened

HIGHS

• Thrives in a situation that demands the optimization and refinement of an existing technology or function at an efficient, effective level
• Through repetition, seeks the opportunity to fine-tune systems, optimize profitability and efficiency, and refine the operational learning curve
• Guards against failure by implementing proven methods with slight modifications as needed to address changing requirements
• Effectively manages the execution of business processes where cost control and consistent quality output are required for the viability of the organization
• Takes suggestions under advisement but finds it most efficient to be the final authority
• Sensitive to how others will react to his protection or advancement of system stability and takes steps to send a clear message that addresses concerns and conveys expectations

LOWS

• Opts for creativity and building new applications of a known technology, and finds it more satisfying to seek new challenges than to manage and refine existing applications
• Prefers to invest his effort in finding breakthrough improvements and focus more on growth and innovation than preventing negatives and controlling risk
• Designing and developing new processes can take priority over outputs
• Depends upon consensus and team input to move people toward the desired objective

TAKES INITIATIVE IN A BUSINESS UNIT

Demonstrates a willingness to take action on problems or opportunities without prompting; possesses the intrinsic desire and willingness to push toward achieving a desired goal or end-state without suggestion from others; prepares alternatives so the outcome is not jeopardized by unexpected barriers; exhibits the desire to blaze new trails as a means to an end

HIGHS

• Champions new initiatives and identifies opportunities or issues requiring change without prompting
• When barriers to goal accomplishment are encountered, is willing to introduce and implement a solution throughout his sphere of influence
• Is willing to take the lead, even if others don’t initially understand or approve
• Focuses effort and resources on initiatives or solutions that will positively contribute to the desired result; does not simply try to ‘build a better mousetrap’
• Changes the present status in order to improve the position of the group or organization in meeting its objectives
• Installs targeted, selective changes that provide real added value to the organization
• More than simply overcoming a negative or preventing a loss, the solutions or changes he initiates leave the job (task, project) with something gained

LOWS

• Is uncomfortable developing a solution to a problem or trying a different approach without positive directives from a higher authority
• Hesitates to push own ideas or drive new goals
• May be too willing to leave well enough alone and conforms to established rules and principles
• Uncomfortable pushing beyond easy or traditional responses to creative or original thinking
• Tends to wait patiently for situations to settle over time or to correct themselves in a more natural fashion

TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESULTS AS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MANAGER

Commits to taking personal responsibility for results, even when those results are achieved indirectly through others; is vigilant in soliciting feedback on progress and detecting possible problems before they can derail the process; maintains control and ultimate accountability but does not step in to take over ownership of others’ tasks and responsibilities; typically has some expertise in subordinates’ tasks, and provides assistance to ensure the outcome rather than allow them to struggle and miss the mark on the end result; stays focused on the result and when shortfalls occur, admits to the problem and takes action to rectify the situation without becoming defensive or shifting the blame to associates

HIGHS

• Focuses on the results, not the effort; measures success by what is accomplished, not by how hard people tried
• Does not give or accept excuses for failure, or participate in finger pointing when results fall short of expectations
• Makes optimal use of resources and personnel available to him
• Recognizes the personal strengths, weaknesses, and biases of direct or indirect reports, and controls for, or compensates for, significant vulnerabilities
• Patiently develops others’ potential for effective performance and future growth
• Is capable of and willing to help out when necessary to salvage the result, but resists the temptation to just step in and take over to avoid association with a potentially negative outcome
• Is disciplined in collecting and analyzing key performance measures and responds quickly with action steps when needed
• Establishes appropriate procedures to be kept informed of others’ work progress

LOWS

• May not be as personally committed to end results as he is to established administrative or bureaucratic procedures
• Makes excuses for a lack of performance or publicly blames others for a lack of performance
• Lacks trust in others’ commitment or talent and keeps control by stepping in to take over their tasks or responsibilities
• Is uncomfortable giving responsibility to others and allowing them to grow
• Lacks planning to support subordinate weaknesses with additional development or outside resources
• Fails to track key areas or concerns about subordinates’ responsibilities and may not follow up on status or actions taken
• Relies on others’ input without being vigilant in his own effort to solicit feedback on progress and possible obstacles

PROFIT CONSCIOUS IN A MANAGEMENT ROLE

Manages the allocated resources to produce optimum bottom-line results; works to understand and control the key factors that influence profit production; balances the priorities and skills of self and others to generate profitable results; won’t become distracted by issues that don’t influence the bottom-line; protects the interests of investors, employees, customers, and others who depend upon the success and survival of the company as a result of its ability to generate profits

HIGHS

• Sees primary role as generating profit for the business
• Entrepreneurial with a bottom-line versus administrative orientation
• Has a realistic grasp of the financial aspects of the organization, shows responsiveness to the need for economies and cost control, and is able to draw meaningful implications from financial data
• Places other business concerns as secondary to profit generation
• Focuses on approaches and techniques designed to increase production or decrease costs, enhancing overall organizational profitability
• Has little time or patience for ideas or programs that do not impact the bottom line

LOWS

• Does not become distracted by or waste time on trivial problems, unnecessary paperwork, or personality issues that don't affect profitable results
• Sees the big picture beyond departmental or single function concerns that on their own will not positively impact overall profitability
• Does not see the production of profit as the organization’s primary objective
• Focuses on accomplishing process steps and administrative tasks to tie up loose ends and deal with immediate demands regardless of their overall impact on the bottom-line
• Cannot find the time or justify the effort to establish and review financial controls
• Bases evaluations of an outcome on the effort extended or the elegance of the result rather than the profitability of the result
• Has a strong concern for personality issues and having people feel good about their results as the true measure of success
• Does not consistently implement steps to monitor key financial or customer data that can potentially impact bottom-line profitability
• Becomes distracted from the primary goal of corporate profitability by ‘squeaky wheel’ situations or single function demands that offer a short-term appearance of increased efficiency or reduced costs

ABILITY TO LEARN THE BUSINESS

Demonstrates knowledge of current and possible future policies, practices, trends, and information that is critical to his business or organization; understands the financial impact of developments on the industry and company; knows the competition; identifies issues, secures relevant information, and identifies relationships to develop sound conclusions for adding value/business results; becomes relatively expert in critical areas when the luxury of multiple players with multiple areas of expertise is not afforded; sets up controls and monitors to provide feedback in these areas for effective, ongoing management

HIGHS

• Achieves and maintains business and professional proficiency related to his industry and organization to be able to clearly identify the critical success factors that require attention
• Applies knowledge of company strategy, customer trends, and competitor strengths/weaknesses to create or implement value-added solutions
• Remains attentive to, and tracks, all critical success factors of the organization, not just to areas of familiarity or personal interest and expertise
• Learns whatever is necessary in unrelated areas to maximize effectiveness

LOWS

• May focus on superfluous aspects of the business
• Tends to adopt a role of specialist rather than generalist, focusing on select business elements and excluding what he does not understand or appreciate
• Too willing to rely on others for a superficial understanding of the aspects of the business with which he has limited familiarity which could prevent him from setting up formal tracking mechanisms
• May stay too focused on his primary area of expertise and not acquire knowledge in critical, but unrelated, disciplines

DEVELOPS TECHNICAL COMPETENCE

Seeks to stay abreast of new developments in his core competencies and to learn enough about related fields to apply knowledge effectively in the business; enjoys learning and is intellectually curious; has a strong desire to continuously improve knowledge, skills, and abilities; sees learning and knowledge as the keys to building the skills and abilities essential to job and career success

HIGHS

• Stays abreast of technical developments in his field in order to effectively apply his knowledge
• Reviews professional publications, newsletters, and other current information in his own and related fields
• Routinely collects and reviews key data and information to track progress on all important functions
• Applies technical principles effectively to goals, plans and new situations
• Uses technology to enhance productivity
• Incorporates professional expertise into projects and new initiatives

LOWS

• Tends to rely on others' expertise in areas in which he doesn't understand the technology or basic principles
• Applies an existing body of technical principles to objectives and problems without taking the steps to expand and update it
• Interest in exploring new technical developments may be cursory and driven by business demands rather than by personal curiosity
• May spend insufficient time tracking all key business information sources

MANAGEMENT AMBITION

Seeks career advancement yet realizes that success is not achieved by hard work alone but also by the will to succeed; is willing to plan in order to accomplish the desired career path; wants to move into a greater sphere of influence that includes recognition, importance, and the opportunity to have an increased impact on people or results

HIGHS

• Seeks career advancement by rising through the ranks of management rather than becoming the master of a specific skill or competency
• Is driven more by the opportunity to advance in a management capacity than by the nature or content of the job or tasks he is assigned
• Tends to view technical competence as a means to open the door to management opportunities, and not a goal in itself
• Actively pursues opportunities to increase his levels of responsibility and authority or influence
• Works to develop or further sharpen skills to influence or shape the direction taken by the group
• Wants to leave his mark as an influential force and to be recognized for how effectively he wielded power or authority

LOWS

• Is most interested in excelling at the requirements of the job for which he has trained and developing his potential within the framework of that job
• Seeks advancement by becoming expert at what he does in his work, not by having an impact on how others perform in their jobs
• Is uncomfortable with the political maneuvering and lobbying required to move a group of people with varying agendas toward a common goal
• Does not readily adopt a leadership role, preferring to contribute in a peer capacity
• May flounder or procrastinate when persuasion or more general management skills are required

TEACHING IN A STRUCTURED SETTING

Demonstrates a commitment to the continuous education and training of others as a means of increasing their overall competency and productivity; prepares more structured sessions to cover the most critical areas of learning for the audience; stays on top of information needed by colleagues and customers in an effort to serve as a resource; takes responsibility for motivating others to learn and retain key information; reinforces what is being taught through periodic repetition; regularly assesses individual and group competencies and routinely addresses them by adjusting his training

HIGHS

• Prepares scheduled and consistent programs to train or educate others
• Establishes measurable criteria for assessing progress in the learning process
• Demonstrates patience and a willingness to repeat or reinforce ideas and information until the audience understands
• Focuses training sessions on those competencies that will make a difference in the group’s ultimate effectiveness
• Concentrates more on the results produced or change accomplished through his training than with how attractive or entertaining the training can be

LOWS

• Prefers one-on-one training or a more loosely organized curriculum to the structured requirements of a scheduled class session
• Expects the people he is training to be self-motivated to learn and becomes impatient when required to repeat or reinforce information he has already covered
• Does not implement a tracking process for assessing the effectiveness of his teaching efforts or the progress of his trainees
• Enjoys working on content delivery and may be more concerned with the audience’s assessment of his public speaking skills than with the subject matter
• Tries to make the training entertaining at the expense of providing only relevant information

DIRECTS AND CONTROLS OTHERS IN A CORPORATE SETTING

Delegates and follows up in order to expand control; effectively directs through multiple levels or a complex infrastructure; selects the appropriate individuals for specific tasks or responsibilities and allows them to operate independently under their own recognizance as long as they produce results; assigns responsibility for an outcome and builds in checkpoints to verify expected progress and refine any differences in the expected outcome with the direct report

HIGHS

• Understands the capacity and limitations of others in making assignments
• Provides subordinates with the authority to decide and act within areas of assigned duties
• Ensures that individuals have the necessary resources to complete assignments
• Clearly states expected results and review points with experienced subordinates, and includes methods with less capable subordinates
• Gives sufficient explanation and commits to consistent follow-up to ensure tasks are completed on time and to standard
• Communicates specific evaluation criteria
• Clarifies the priority of the assignment relative to other assignments the individual may have
• Discusses and establishes appropriate procedures to be kept informed of subordinates’ work progress
• Identifies deviations from the goal through periodic progress reports

LOWS

• Is reluctant to engage in activities appropriate to his current position; wants to continue doing what he was effectively doing before rather than trust others to carry out the delegated task
• Expects subordinates to approach and complete a task exactly as he would
• Perceives subordinates as lacking in competence and believes no one else can be as effective and efficient in completing the assignment
• Wants to constantly hand-hold to satisfy a desire to be of personal assistance and to provide personal attention
• Fears a loss of control and prefers a strong hands-on approach to system-driven control and reliance on a monitoring process
• Once tasks are delegated, tends to abdicate responsibility to the individual for the final result and assume others will follow through without a system in place to check progress and results
• Inconsistent or unclear in stating expected results or communicating timeframes, resources, and positive or negative consequences of various performance levels

EMBRACES THE STRATEGIC VISION

Aligns himself closely with the organization’s mission; devises and sets in motion plans to bring the corporate vision to reality; is able to think outside the box to formulate ideas and does not feel compelled to conform to organizational norms; understands the need to communicate and sell ideas to gain support and commitment from others; identifies with the long-term success of the organization so independent and forward thinking is seen as positive change rather than resistance or rebellion

HIGHS

• Shares the corporate vision and develops the mindset and processes to accomplish appropriate objectives
• Sets priorities to maximize his contribution toward corporate mandates
• Keeps his focus on the goals and objectives set forth in the company directive, resisting distractions created by setbacks or a different personal agenda
• Helps to sell others on the strategic directives and expectations set forth by the organization through his own commitment to and willingness to follow through on corporate objectives

LOWS

• May not personally embrace or actively generate a team following of a corporate mission inconsistent with his personal agenda
• Focuses on short-term goals and accomplishments, and loses sight of the big picture as drawn by corporate initiatives
• Allows his commitment level and follow through on corporate objectives to be influenced or dictated by the distractions of external circumstances or an internal frame of mind
• Does not feel obligated or duty-bound to inspire or otherwise engage others in a shared sense of purpose or commitment to the desired organizational goals

POLITICALLY ASTUTE

Understands and effectively uses the organization's political power structure; is sensitive to others’ agendas and recognizes that there can be different views of priorities or objectives; tries to lay a groundwork of cooperation by helping others to look good before soliciting their support; cultivates relationships with those who most influence job success; incorporates the extra steps needed to satisfy political issues that can slow or halt progress toward a desired objective

HIGHS

• Understands and aligns actions and strategies with the values and beliefs of those in authority, as a means to winning approval/support and of achieving job and career success
• Recognizes that people can view the same objective or priority differently, and is careful not to blindly push his own agenda
• Works to make his allies look good by providing what they need to accomplish their responsibilities before requesting support of his own program or agenda
• Builds cooperative and supportive relationships with appropriate influencers both internal and external to the organization
• Consciously positions himself favorably with colleagues and customers, recognizing that his words or actions have the potential to generate positive support or create a negative bias

LOWS

• May fail to understand that it is important to help allies and others on whom he is dependent for help or cooperation to look good and to be recognized before approaching them with requests
• Can undermine a cooperative relationship by emphasizing his own accomplishment or contribution
• Underestimates the need for political savvy in meshing his own objectives or agenda with those of an individual or group of individuals who disagree or have developed their own strategies and plans
• Prefers to push his own solution or course of action and may try to oversell those who have a different approach or agenda without taking care to positively position himself and his position with them

PRACTICAL INTELLIGENCE

Absorbs new information quickly and is comfortable dealing with abstract concepts and relationships; relates new information to previously acquired knowledge to expand and refine his frame of reference; enjoys learning and expanding the breadth and depth of his understanding on a variety of subjects

HIGHS

• Enjoys learning and broadening his depth of learning and insight in a wide array of topics
• Absorbs, stores and recalls new information quickly
• Deals comfortably with abstract concepts and relationships
• Pursues academic, theoretical or research-based information

LOWS

• Needs repetition to process new information and requires additional time to integrate it into his repertoire
• Prefers concrete tasks
• Learns best through one-on-one instruction and improves his base skill level through experience and hard work
• Uses practice opportunities or trial runs to become completely knowledgeable of and comfortable with methods or techniques he needs to use

ANALYTIC ABILITY

Systematically applies a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning to arrive at a well-founded, logical conclusion; remains objective in analyzing information and data so as not to make false assumptions or reach judgments without full knowledge and information; recognizes and neutralizes personal biases that can influence his thought process; effectively weighs the accuracy of different types of information in order to define a problem and reach a valid conclusion

HIGHS

• Possesses strong deductive reasoning skills and is capable of thinking through problems in a systematic and logical manner
• Draws sound conclusions from the information presented
• Effectively weighs the accuracy of different types of information, including inferences, abstractions, or generalizations
• Maintains a detached/objective demeanor in the gathering and analysis of information

LOWS

• Allows biases to prevent him from seeing all sides of an issue and influence his perception
• Quickly draws conclusions or makes assumptions without full knowledge and information
• Makes decisions according to clearly defined rules and depends upon an existing frame of reference in unfamiliar situations
• A penchant for action versus analysis leads him to move forward with minimal review of critical input or weighing of alternatives
• Relies on previously acquired information and like-minded people for input into decisions

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