Sustainability Is an Inside Job: A Competency Model Based Approach to Filling Management Positions

Many organizations use the same approach for filling management positions that they use when hiring operations, engineering, IT, or other technical and/or staff positions. This approach, however, means that hiring is based much more on an individual's technical skills than on the candidate's ability to lead and manage in ways that will be most effective in guiding the organization toward the accomplishment of its mission and goals.Recently a lot of attention has been placed on sustainability; particularly on sustainability of resources and infrastructure. However, without a solid foundation of aligned leadership with the skills and behaviors needed to move the organization toward long-term goal attainment, sustainability will remain an unreached goal. TAP Resource Development Group has developed a process based on the identification of required leadership and management behaviors (competencies) and the integration of these competencies into the organization's traditional hiring process. It provides the hiring agency with information on each candidate's strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the needs of the specific position. This approach enables the hiring agency to customize each interview around how well the candidate fits the desired leadership and management behaviors needed for each position.