Page 12 - February 7, 2021 KarmaLead Competencies

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OPTIMIZING WORKFLOW
Great processes simplify work. They align jobs and systems to better serve clients and
streamline communication. They cut costs and increase efficiency. Processes touch everything
from simple job task planning to complex supply chain management. Streamlined processes
drive improvement in quality, client satisfaction, sales, and profitability. With a well-designed
process, performance is measured in results – not activity. The best processes are dynamic,
nimble and are able to flex with changing conditions. Skilled leaders identify and create
processes necessary to get work done and to separate and combine activities into efficient
workflow. They design processes and procedures that allow managing from a distance. They
seek ways to improve processes, from small tweaks to complete reengineering.

NEGOTIATING
We are all constantly negotiating throughout our professional and personal lives. Organizations
have become less hierarchical, less based on positional authority, and less based on clear
boundaries of responsibility and authority. As a result, conflict or at least differences will be an
even greater component of organizational life in the future. Studies have shown that
negotiation skills are among the most significant determinants of career success. Skilled leaders
can negotiate in tough situations with both internal and external stakeholders and can settle
differences with minimum noise. They can be both direct and forceful as well as diplomatic.
These leaders quickly gain the trust of the other parties to the negotiation.

POLITICAL SAVVY
Organizations are made up of formal structures, policies, buildings, inventory, intellectual
property, and so forth. They may be logically planned and brilliantly orchestrated, but while
human beings are still at the core, things can get messy. It is the human element that interjects
politics, emotion, uncertainty, intrigue, and conflict. Political savvy is the compass that guides
you swiftly and without mishap to your destination. Leaders who do this well understand the
difference between what the organization intends to be, versus the reality. Leaders are masters
at getting work done in an organizational setting. Skilled leaders are sensitive to how people
and the organization functions and they anticipate land mines and plan the approach
accordingly. They deal comfortably with organizational politics and know who has power,
respect, and influence. They are able to steer through the organizational maze to get things
done.