Geoff Smart

percent chance of achieving a set of outcomes that only the top 10 percent of possible candidates could achieve.

To serve as a visionary leader who helps the bank capture market share from the competition by analyzing the market and devising successful new strategies and product offerings.

Critical Competencies for A Players

• Efficiency. Able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort.

• Honesty/integrity. Does not cut corners ethically. Earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not just what is politically expedient. Speaks plainly and truthfully.

• Organization and planning. Plans, organizes, schedules, and budgets in an efficient, productive manner. Focuses on key priorities.

• Aggressiveness. Moves quickly and takes a forceful stand without being overly abrasive.

• Follow-through on commitments. Lives up to verbal and written agreements, regardless of personal cost.

• Intelligence. Learns quickly. Demonstrates ability to quickly

and proficiently understand and absorb new information.

• Analytical skills. Able to structure and process qualitative or quantitative data and draw insightful conclusions from it. Exhibits a probing mind and achieves penetrating insights.

• Attention to detail. Does not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a project.

• Persistence. Demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done.

• Proactivity. Acts without being told what to do. Brings new ideas to the company.

• Ability to hire A Players (for managers). Sources, selects, and sells A Players to join a company.

• Ability to develop people (for managers). Coaches people in their current roles to improve performance, and prepares them for future roles.

• Flexibility/adaptability. Adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions. Copes effectively with complexity and change.

• Calm under pressure. Maintains stable performance when under heavy pressure or stress.

• Strategic thinking/visioning. Able to see and communicate the big picture in an inspiring way. Determines opportunities and threats through comprehensive analysis of current and future trends.

• Creativity/innovation. Generates new and innovative approaches to problems.

• Enthusiasm. Exhibits passion and excitement over work. Has a

can-do attitude.

• Work ethic. Possesses a strong willingness to work hard and sometimes long hours to get the job done. Has a track record of working hard.

• High standards. Expects personal performance and team performance to be nothing short of the best.

• Listening skills. Lets others speak and seeks to understand their viewpoints.

• Openness to criticism and ideas. Often solicits feedback and reacts calmly to criticism or negative feedback.

• Communication. Speaks and writes clearly and articulately without being overly verbose or talkative. Maintains this standard in all forms of written communication, including e-mail.

• Teamwork. Reaches out to peers and cooperates with supervisors to establish an overall collaborative working relationship.

Persuasion. Able to convince others to pursue a course of action.

FROM SCORECARD TO STRATEGY

“Who are the most talented people you know that I should hire?”

“Say, now that I have told you what I do, who are the most talented people you know who could be a good fit for my company?”