Sample competency review comments
The next time you are completing a competency review, give some thought to the comments that you choose to leave.  Qualitative responses offer depth to the assessment, rather than just a number at the end of the day.  Remember that a competency assessment is a fantastic development exercise, it’s designed to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Put yourself in the shoes of an employee.  Your manager has just completed a competency assessment of your Problem Solving skills.  From this assessment, it’s clear that there are some areas for improvement, namely around following up and seeking input from others. Here’s a table showing how your manager has rated you against the problem solving competency.
| Problem Solving | Never | Rarely | Sometimes | Usually | Always |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyses problems to prevent future occurrences | X | ||||
| Follows up to ensure problems are solved satisfactorily | X | ||||
| Develops alternative solutions where needed | X | ||||
| Seeks input from a variety of sources to determine the best solution | X | ||||
| Resolves problems in a timely manner | X |
Which of these comments would you find helpful?
Comment 1:
You rarely seek input from others. Â This needs to be addressed. Â Also your follow up is pretty poor.
Comment 2:
Problem solving is one of your strengths. Â However, I think that you could improve the value of your solutions significantly by doing a couple of things:
- Developing a follow up process. Â This will bring a more customer centric focus to your approach and help you to build relationships with others in the business. Â At the moment, once the solution is out the door it tends to get forgotten about.
- Keeping an open mind about the best possible solution. Â Often others will be able to provide you with some insight that will take your solution from good to great.
The second comment is by far the more valuable one. Â Not only does it identify problem solving as a strength, but it also outlines two practical solutions to help you improve. These are an immediate and obvious catalyst for your development.
