1.
0 ABOUT THIS FRAMEWORK
The Competency Framework supports the delivery of the council’s Corporate Plan and
People Strategy and forms a key element of the Corporate Performance Management
Framework (PMF). The competency framework sets out how we want people to
behave at work and puts the corporate values at the heart of everything we do.
1.1 Ashfield District Council’s Values
• Enterprising, Ambitious and Innovative
• Community and Customer Focused, Putting People First
• Positive, Proactive and Successful
• Collaborative
• Transparent and Accountable
1.2 Mansfield District Council’s Values
• Excellence
• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Empower and Involve
• Passion and Pride
2.0 WHAT ARE COMPETENCIES?
Competencies are the skills, knowledge and behaviours that lead to successful
performance. The framework outlines ten competencies and for each competency
there is a description of what it means in practice with examples of effective
behaviours at all levels. These indicators of behaviour are not designed to be
comprehensive, but provide a clear and consistent sense of what is expected.
The competency framework will depend on your role in the organisation and your
personal development needs. The levels are:
Level 1 Chief Executive and Directors
Level 2 Service Managers
Level 3 Officers/Team Leaders/Supervisors
3.0 WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?
The framework is used for recruitment, performance management and development
discussions and for decisions about career progression. Your Personal Development
Review (PDR) sets out what you need to achieve over the year and the competency
framework sets out how you will do it.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK 2
A number of competencies will be identified and agreed as being essential to your
role and/or have a higher level of importance and need based on your job role and
work programme. Typically this will be approximately six which are selected across
the key themes, and in cases where you are new to your post these will be decided
by your manager at the point of recruitment and you will be assessed against these
during the recruitment process.
Depending on the changes to your role or developments to your work programme the
competencies that are essential may change. In this case changes will be agreed
with your manager and captured within your PDR.
4.0 THE COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
The framework is made up of three themes and ten competencies. The three themes
are:
Strategic – Setting direction
Seeing the big picture
Changing and improving
Making effective decisions
People – Engaging people
Leading and communicating
Collaborating and partnering
Building capacity for all
Performance – Delivering results
Achieving commercial outcomes
Delivering value for money
Managing a quality service
Delivering at pace
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Summary of each competency
Strategic – Setting direction
1. Seeing the big picture
Seeing the big picture is about having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of
how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and wider public needs.
For all employees, it is about focusing your contribution on the activities which will
meet the council’s goals and deliver the greatest value.
For leaders, it is about scanning the political context and taking account of wider
impacts to develop long term implementation strategies that maximise opportunities
to add value to the customer experiences of service users; facilitate continuous
improvement; transform services and support the delivery of the corporate priorities.
2. Changing and improving
People who are effective in this area take initiative, are innovative and seek out
opportunities to create effective change.
For all employees, it’s about learning from what has worked well as well as what has not,
being open to change and improvement, and working in smarter, more focused ways.
For leaders, this is about creating and encouraging a culture of innovation and allowing
people to consider and take informed decisions. Doing this well means continuously
seeking out ways to improve policy implementation and build a leaner, more flexible and
responsive council. It also means making use of alternative delivery models.
3. Making effective decisions
Effectiveness in this area is about using sound judgement, evidence and knowledge to
arrive at accurate, expert and professional decisions and advice.
For leaders it’s about reaching evidence based strategies, evaluating options, impacts,
risks and solutions.
People – Engaging people
4. Leading and communicating
At all levels effectiveness in this area is about showing our pride and passion for
public service, communicating purpose and direction with clarity, integrity, and
enthusiasm. It’s about championing difference and external experience, and
supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all.
For leaders, it is about being visible, establishing a strong direction and persuasive
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future vision; managing and engaging with people in a straightforward, truthful, and
candid way.
5. Collaborating and partnering
People skilled in this area are team players. At all levels, it requires working
collaboratively, sharing information appropriately and building supportive, trusting and
professional relationships with colleagues and a wide range of people within and
outside the council, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions.
For senior leaders, it’s about being approachable, delivering business objectives
through creating an inclusive environment and welcoming challenge however
uncomfortable.
6. Building capability for all
Effectiveness in this area is having a strong focus on continuous learning for oneself,
others and the organisation. For all employees, it’s being open to learning and
keeping your own knowledge and skill set current and evolving.
For leaders, it’s about investing in the capabilities of our people, to be effective now
and in the future including having the flexibility to take on new roles as well as giving
clear, honest feedback and supporting teams to succeed. It’s also about creating a
learning and knowledge culture across the organisation to inform future plans and
deliver transformational change. Coaching and mentoring as a management style is
highly evident.
Performance – Delivering results
7. Achieving commercial outcomes
Being effective in this area includes identifying, exploring and delivering increased
income through commercial activity. For all, it’s about having a commercially
orientated mind - set to ensure all activities and services, where appropriate, are
maximising net income.
For leaders, it’s about identifying opportunities, market forces and customer needs
and promoting innovative business models, commercial partnerships and
agreements to deliver greatest value; along with ensuring tight commercial controls of
finances, resources and contracts to meet desired net income targets and outcomes.
8. Delivering value for money
Delivering value for money involves the efficient, effective and economic use of
taxpayers’ money in the delivery of public services.
For all employees, it means seeking out and implementing solutions which achieve the
best mix of quality, and effectiveness for the least outlay. People who do this well base
their decisions on evidenced information and follow agreed processes and policies,
challenging these appropriately where they appear to prevent good value for money.
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For leaders, it’s about embedding a culture of value for money within their area of
responsibility. They work collaboratively across boundaries to ensure that the council
maximises its strategic outcomes within the resources available.
9. Managing a quality service
Effectiveness in this area is around valuing and delivering excellence and expertise
to meet service objectives, taking account of diverse customer needs and
requirements. People, who are effective plan, organise and manage their time and
activities to deliver quality, reliable and efficient services, applying programme,
project and risk management approaches to support service delivery.
For leaders, it is about creating an environment to deliver the desired operational
service standards and creating the most appropriate and cost effective delivery
models for public services.
10. Delivering at pace
Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with
energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes.
All employees will work to agreed goals and activities and deal with challenges in a
responsive, positive and constructive way. For leaders, it is about building a
performance culture where employees are given space, authority and support to
deliver outcomes. It’s also about keeping a firm focus on priorities and addressing
performance issues resolutely, fairly and promptly.
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5.0 LEVEL 1 COMPETENCY INDICATORS
Strategic – Setting direction
1. Seeing the big picture
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Develop an in-depth insight into the dynamics and issues surrounding the
council including political, economic, social, environmental and technological
impacts.
• Articulate the council’s Corporate Plan and help people see their role within it.
• Shape strategies and plans which help put into practice and support the
council’s vision and long-term direction, including those shared with other
partners.
• Create clear long-term strategies and joined up plans focused on adding value
to service users, stakeholders and communities and making real, lasting
change.
• Develop a comprehensive insight into customers, services, communities and
markets affected by their area and the wider public sector context.
2. Changing and improving
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Challenge bureaucratic decision making, resourcing structures and processes
across the council to create a lean, flat and effective organisation.
• Create and encourage a culture of initiative, flexibility and responsiveness,
mobilising the council to respond swiftly to changing priorities.
• Seek opportunities, encourage and recognise ideas, initiative, improvements
and measured risk taking within own area to deliver better approaches and
services.
• Encourage a culture of imaginative thinking, learning from experience and
expanding mind-sets and genuinely listen to ideas from employees,
communities and stakeholders.
• Challenge the status quo and accepted assumptions at the highest levels
across the council.
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3. Making effective decisions
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Involve and consult with the right stakeholders and partners in making
recommendations or decisions early on and continue to engage them.
• Identify and evaluate risks and options and develop council wide strategies to
manage and mitigate.
• Take quick, confident decisions at a strategic level to move things forward to
meet organisational goals.
• Make unpopular decisions and defend them at the highest level when
required.
• Give unbiased advice to members based on robust analysis, not just what is
welcomed.
People – Engaging people
4. Leading and communicating
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Shape, promote and exemplify desired council values and culture.
• Be highly visible and credible at the most senior levels across and outside the
council, communicating purpose and direction with clarity and enthusiasm.
• Negotiate with and influence external partners, stakeholders and customers
successfully at the highest level to secure mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Engage positively in debate and resolve ambiguities across the council.
• Lead from the front, ensuring visibility and communicating in a straightforward,
truthful and candid way that creates an inclusive environment.
5. Collaborating and partnering
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Build a strong network of collaborative relationships and partnerships across
the council, Local Government and Partner Agencies to help deliver council
and wider Public Sector objectives.
• Be an active member of CLT and act for the wider good of the council.
• Work effectively to bring together political and officer leadership to improve the
effectiveness of the council.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK 8
• Confront issues and challenge assumptions at the highest levels with delivery
partners, stakeholders and clients in an assertive yet constructive way.
• Drive a diverse and collaborative working culture which encourages openness,
approachability and welcomes challenge, however uncomfortable.
• Encourage teams to engage with a variety of delivery partners and
stakeholders and listen to their feedback.
6. Building capability for all
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Champion the strategic importance of people, talent management and
development issues, building a strong culture of continuous learning and
knowledge sharing.
• Operate with an acute awareness of inclusiveness, equality and diversity, and
build capability strategies to support careers for all employees.
• Develop and maintain organisational commitment to problem solving,
empowering people to experiment and achieve organisational results together.
• Be renowned as an effective mentor and coach.
Performance – Delivering results
7. Achieving commercial outcomes
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Role model strong leadership, influence and accountability for the
achievement of commercial outcomes relevant to organisational goals.
• Seek out and facilitate the introduction of innovative business models, systems
and approaches to deliver greater commerciality and sustainability.
• Ensure that all employees have appropriate levels of commercial awareness,
whilst creating and embedding an organisational culture that supports this.
• Commission strategic commercial relationships with delivery partners using
strong influencing skills.
8. Delivering value for money
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Drive and deliver a culture that emphasises continuous improvement,
efficiency and value for money.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK 9
• Maintain a clear focus on maximising resource efficiency, continually
questioning the value of activities against strategic priorities.
• Be fluent at interpreting a wide range of financial and performance information
and use this to determine policy and strategy delivery.
• Promote and visibly demonstrate a culture of value for money in own area or
function in order to focus managers on getting a good return for taxpayers’ money.
9. Managing a quality service
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Determine and drive customer service outcomes at a broad strategic level
across the council to ensure delivery of quality services to customers.
• Create a culture of working with and through delivery partners to achieve
outcomes, establish and negotiate service levels and deliverables.
• Ensure all parts of the delivery of services fully understand the required
outcomes for the customer and articulate the impact of poor service, security
and communication on the council’s reputation.
• Ensure clear structures, systems and resources to promote efficient service
delivery.
10. Delivering at pace
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Drive a performance culture across the council giving teams space and
authority to deliver objectives whilst, resolutely holding them accountable for
outcomes.
• Promote resilience and responsiveness in the organisation by being open and
honest about challenges, and the actions required to address unexpected
developments.
• Enable the organisation to remain focused on core priorities irrespective of
external challenges.
• Encourage, support and coach individuals and teams across the council to
energise delivery.
• Act as a role model for delivery by injecting enthusiasm, positivity and energy
to achieve results.
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6.0 LEVEL 2 COMPETENCY INDICATORS
Strategic – Setting direction
1. Seeing the big picture
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Bring together views and perspectives of stakeholders to gain a wider picture
of the landscape surrounding activities and policies.
• Create policies, plans and service provision to meet political priorities and
stakeholders, residents and communities diverse requirements based on an
up-to-date knowledge of need, issues and relevant good practice.
• Ensures relevant issues relating to their activity and policy area are effectively
fed into strategy and big picture considerations.
• Adopt a council-wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy.
2. Changing and improving
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Provide constructive challenge to senior management on change proposals
which will affect own business area.
• Encourage and recognise a culture of initiative and innovation focused on
adding value – give employees space, praise and credit for creativity and
recognise their achievements.
• Lead the transformation of services to users, moving to a digital approach
whenever possible.
• Identify step changes that quickly transform flexibility, responsiveness and
quality of service.
3. Making effective decisions
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Push decision making to the right level within their teams, not allow
unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery.
• Analyse and evaluate data from various sources to identify pros and cons and
identify risks in order to make well considered decisions.
• Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or
stakeholder expectations, to seek best option.
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• Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing the complexities involved
against the need to act.
People – Engaging people
4. Leading and communicating
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Be visible to employees and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to
engage and build trust with people involved in area of work.
• Confidently engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to generate
commitment to goals.
• Clarify strategies and plans, communicate purpose and direction with clarity
and enthusiasm.
• Lead by example - communicate in a truthful, straightforward manner with
integrity, impartiality and promoting a working environment that supports the
council’s values.
5. Collaborating and partnering
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve
progress on objectives and shared interests.
• Encourage contributions and involvement from a broad and diverse range of
employees by being visible and accessible.
• Actively involve partners to deliver a business outcome through collaboration
that achieves better results for communities and service users.
• Seek constructive outcomes in discussions, challenge assumptions but remain
willing to compromise when it is beneficial to progress.
6. Building capability for all
Leaders who are effective are demonstrating the following behaviours:
• Ensure that individual and organisational learning and talent development
opportunities are fully exploited in order to enhance organisational capability.
• Prioritise and role model continuous self-learning and development, including
leadership, management and people skills.
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• Identify capability requirements needed to deliver future team objectives and
support teams to succeed in delivering to meet those needs.
• Support teams to succeed, devoting dedicated time to empowering people
through coaching and mentoring and sharing expertise and knowledge.
Performance – Delivering results
7. Achieving commercial outcomes
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Understand the commercial drivers that will influence a private or third sector
organisation and the levers that can be used in negotiating or influencing
contractual arrangements.
• Be able to recognise and understand the commercial tools that can be
deployed to extract value from contracts.
• Identify, develop and implement new commercial opportunities and models for
the delivery of policy and business goals.
• Identify and implement different ways of working deployed in other sectors, for
example, using resources, assets and commercial arrangements.
8. Delivering value for money
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Understand impacts of financial position in own service area and that of the
organisation and use insight to curtail or support business and investment
activities.
• Achieve the best return on investment and deliver more for less on specific
budgets by effectively managing resources and maximising the use of assets.
• Monitor the use of resources in line with organisational procedures and plans
and hold team to account.
• Interpret a wide range of financial and management information and use
financial data effectively in decisions.
9. Managing a quality service
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Exemplify positive customer service behaviours and promote a culture focused
on ensuring customer needs are met.
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• Establish how the business area compares to customer service expectations
and industry best practice and identify necessary improvements in plans.
• Ensure the service offer thoroughly considers customer’s needs and provides
a broad range of available methods to meet this, including systems, structures,
processes and resources.
• Make effective use of project management skills and techniques to deliver
outcomes, including identifying risks and mitigating actions.
10. Delivering at pace
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Get the best out of people by giving enthusiastic and encouraging messages
about priorities, objectives and expectations.
• Clarify business priorities, roles and responsibilities and secure individual and
team ownership.
• Drive a performance culture within own area, allowing people space and
authority to deliver their objectives and recognising their achievements.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for
managers and provide the energy, drive and enthusiasm in achievement of
these objectives.
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7.0 LEVEL 3 COMPETENCY INDICATORS
Strategic – Setting direction
1. Seeing the big picture
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Be alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact or benefit own and
team’s work.
• Develop an understanding of strategies within own service area and how
these contribute to service priorities.
• Seek to understand how the services, activities and strategies in the area work
together to create value for the customer or end user.
• Ensure own area and team activities are aligned to service priorities.
2. Changing and improving
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Find ways to improve systems, structures, policies and procedures to deliver
with more streamlined resources.
• Regularly review procedures or systems with teams to identify improvements
and simplify processes and decision making.
• Be willing to meet the challenges of difficult or complex changes, encouraging
and supporting others to do the same.
• Prepare for and respond appropriately to the range of possible effects that
change may have on own role and the wider team.
3. Making effective decisions
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Make appropriate decisions when they are needed, even if they prove difficult
or unpopular.
• Invite and welcome challenge and where appropriate involve others in
decision making to help build engagement and present robust
recommendations.
• Recognise scope of own authority for decision making and empower and
support team members to make decisions.
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People – Engaging people
4. Leading and communicating
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Continually communicate with employees, helping to clarify goals and
activities and the links between these and the council’s Corporate Plan.
• Role model enthusiasm, energy and positivity about their work and encourage
others to do the same.
• Promote the work of the service and play an active part in supporting the
council’s values and culture.
5. Collaborating and partnering
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of
business outcomes.
• Readily share resources to support higher priority work, showing pragmatism
and support for the shared goals of the organisation.
• Encourage collaborative team working within own team, across the service
and with other teams across the council.
6. Building capability for all
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Identify and address team or individual capability requirements and gaps to
deliver current and future work.
• Develop all team members to support succession planning, devoting time to
coach, mentor and develop others.
• Continually seek and act on feedback to evaluate and improve their own and
team’s performance.
Performance – Delivering results
7. Achieving commercial outcomes
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Promote and encourage commercial awareness and mind set including
identifying opportunities and delivering commercial opportunities.
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• Collate and use evidence to assess the costs, income and effectiveness of
commercial activities and outcomes.
• Review and implement alternative methods and approaches to meet net
income targets and outcomes.
8. Delivering value for money
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Promote and encourage an awareness of cost, using clear simple examples of
benefits and how to measure outcomes.
• Recommend actions to achieve value for money and efficiency.
9. Managing a quality service
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Make effective use of project management skills and techniques to deliver
outcomes, including identifying risks and mitigating actions.
• Establish mechanisms to seek out and respond to feedback from customers
about service provided.
• Work with team to set priorities, goals, objectives and timescales.
10. Delivering and pace
Leaders who are effective demonstrate the following behaviours:
• Successfully manage, coach support and stretch self and team to deliver
agreed goals and objectives.
• Plan ahead but reassess workloads and priorities if situations change or
people are facing conflicting demands.
• Take responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard
whilst allowing the team space and authority to deliver objectives and
recognising their achievements.
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8.0 INEFFECTIVE BEHAVIOURS
The following descriptors of ineffective behaviours apply at all levels of the competency
framework and may be used in some circumstances to identify areas where more
focused support and development is required.
Strategic – Setting direction
1. Seeing the big picture
• Focuses on short-term concerns with a limited insight into the challenges and
issues that are either currently impacting on the team, service and council or
are likely to in future.
• Operates within own service area without regard to links with other teams and
service areas.
2. Changing and improving
• Tolerates colleagues operating in rigid, bureaucratic ways.
• Maintains current ineffective working practices without challenge and misses
opportunities to use alternative delivery methods, structures and procedures.
3. Making effective decisions
• Provides advice, recommendations or decisions without full and proper
consultation, evaluation of risk, scenarios and options or without regard for
context with wider agendas, priorities and impacts.
• Makes decisions that offer least resistance and challenge or are more popular
rather than decisions that are appropriate for the team, colleagues, service or
customers.
People – Engaging people
4. Leading and communicating
• Acts in ways that contradict desired culture and values of the council.
• Misses or fails to act on opportunities to transform the team, service, policies
and procedures or waits for others to take the lead.
5. Collaborating and partnering
• Creates and enables narrow ways of working in the delivery of policies,
processes and services and fails to involve relevant partners and stakeholders.
• Supports or creates individual or silo ways of working either within or across
team or service area.
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6. Building capacity for all
• Demonstrates limited ability or commitment to enabling equal opportunities for
employees to progress their career or realise their potential.
• Fails to use appropriate methods and policies to effectively address team
performance issues or ineffective behaviours.
Performance – Delivering results
7. Achieving commercial outcomes
• Demonstrates limited knowledge of commercial awareness and understanding
when shaping policies, processes and delivery models.
• Shows a limited understanding about relevant commercial opportunities,
concepts, processes and systems and how these can be used to deliver
council priorities and team objectives.
8. Delivering value for money
• Rarely uses financial or management information to support analysis or inform
decision making or fails to effectively manage resources to achieve
efficiencies and effective return on investment.
• Fails to demonstrate an understanding of the financial aspects of business
decisions and or ignores the need for transparency, audit and regard for
financial regulations.
9. Managing a quality service
• Demonstrates limited ability to effectively plan, manage and organise time and
activities to deliver good quality and effective services and projects within
budgets and set timescales.
• Establishes unrealistic or confused priorities, strategies and objectives that
lead to inefficiencies in service delivery or overlaps between activities.
10. Delivering at Pace
• Displays a lack of purpose and direction about the focus of the service or team
and fails to effectively measure and monitor performance against objectives
and priorities.
• Fails to set standards for timeliness and quality of monitoring in their own area
of responsibility.
Please contact the Learning and Development team for further
information, advice or guidance on 01623 463486 or 463378.
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