1. Understanding and Developing Yourself
Good self-knowledge provides the basis for effective self-development, selection of appropriate management styles, strengthening resilience, strategic thinking and communication. In other words, it provides the foundation for success in a management role.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice Expert | ||||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Identifying your own personality, strengths, limitations, aspirations, needs, anxieties and preferred ways of working | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying your own development needs | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Selecting development activities that will be effective | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Creating a career plan and acting on it | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Preparing to move into a new role or take on new work | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Establishing performance within the first 90 days in a new role | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking assistance with self-assessments, development planning, career planning or moving between roles | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
2. Different Styles of Management for Different Situations
It is often not what a manager does that produces results, but how they do it. Being able to use a style of management that suits an individual’s personality and the situation in which they manage is a core skill for managers.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice Expert | ||||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Using emotional, environmental and cultural intelligence to read a situation | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Applying a management style that is comfortable for you, sits well with the Victorian public sector values and will be effective for the situation in which you are managing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying situations in which your preferred management approach is likely to be ineffective and an alternative management style is needed | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Applying an alternative management style | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support with selecting and adapting appropriate management approaches | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
3. Resilience and Achievement: Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough
The ability to achieve outcomes through perseverance and professionalism, even in the face of set-backs and challenges, is a critical aspect of success in any management role.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice |
Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Maintaining an appropriate balance between work and wellbeing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Making decisions with confidence | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Time management | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Prioritising tasks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Working well in situations characterised by complexity, ambiguity, change or risk | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| TEXT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Bouncing back after set-backs, mistakes, failures, disappointments or frustrations | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Managing unproductive stress | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking assistance with the management of stress and building resilience | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
4. Advanced Interpersonal Skills
The ability to engage with people in intelligent and compelling ways is an essential skill that underpins a manager’s ability to succeed in their role. At management level, good written and verbal communication is assumed. So the focus here is not on establishing these fundamental abilities, but on applying these skills with sophistication to complex situations.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Engaging with senior audiences to inform and influence | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Building mutually beneficial professional relationships with peers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Showing appreciation for and building rapport with people who are more junior in the organisational hierarchy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Facilitating interaction between different hierarchical levels within an organisation | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Convincing others to engage on a topic, appreciate your perspective and undertake particular actions | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Brokering solutions where there are strongly expressed opposing views | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Crafting communications to inform and to manage expectations | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Conducting meetings that achieve agreed outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Representing your organisation and the Victorian public sector professionally | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to develop and apply effective interpersonal skills | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
5. Thinking and Acting Strategically
Thinking and acting strategically involves being able to plot a course of action in light of opportunities, obstacles and change. Strategic action involves ensuring activity is taken in the right way and at the right time to achieve the desired outcome.
| HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT … | Novice | Expert | |||
| (circle a number) | |||||
| Creative, innovative and adaptive thinking | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying and addressing your own cognitive biases and those of others | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying and clarifying goals | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying and analysing barriers, enablers and opportunities | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Identifying, selecting and sequencing specific actions to achieve outcomes in light of particular circumstances | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Reviewing and revising strategic action in real time | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Communicating strategy to others | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Seeking support to develop and apply strategic thinking skills | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| OVERALL rating (what is your most common score?) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
What now?
Scores of 3 or below indicate an area where focused development is likely to be of value.Because the knowledge, skills and behaviours outlined here are foundational, you should consider addressing any development needs identified above before pursuing development in any other areas.
Where you have scored 4 or 5, how did you gain your expertise? Was it mostly theory or mostly practice?
If it was predominantly one or the other, you might consider undertaking a practically (or theoretically) based development activity to round out your expertise. You might also consider using your expertise to help others (for example, your colleagues or your staff) develop their strengths in these areas by, for example, offering to mentor them.
If you and your supervisor are happy with your level of expertise in these areas, you should now move to the next self-assessment.