Analysis of personnel policy in the majority Russian companies shows that when selecting and evaluating candidates for the positions of heads of departments, mainly professional knowledge and skills are taken into account, and most often they do not pay attention to the qualities of a manager and leader.

For example, sales managers should have not only professional competencies in sales, a focus on high results and achievements, but also competencies in leadership, customer focus, teamwork, and communication skills.

An analysis of publications devoted to the development of competency models shows a wide variety of approaches to the concept of competency. There are different points of view on the classification of competencies, the number of competencies in an effective model, the definition of levels in a competency model, etc.
But they agree on one thing, competence is the main characteristic of a person, which is causally related to effective work.

Consider the model of competence of the head of the sales department.

Levels of assessment of the manifestation of competence in an employee:

Level	Short description
1 - Beginner level	Not enough knowledge in this area. Behavior does not correspond to competence. Requires training/correction/development of correct behavior.
2 - Level of development	There are significant gaps in knowledge and skills. Actively learns and gains experience. Behavior is easily corrected by training.
3 - Experience Level	The employee demonstrates a sufficient level of knowledge in this competence. The employee demonstrates the possession of this competence based on his experience. In activities mainly relies only on their own experience.
4- Mastery level	The employee demonstrates a professional level of knowledge in this competence. The employee demonstrates professional competence. The employee shares knowledge and experience with colleagues.
5 - Expert level	The employee demonstrates an expert level of knowledge in this competence. The employee demonstrates an example of professional competency. The employee actively transfers knowledge and experience to colleagues.

Profile model of competencies of the head of the sales department

Based on the analysis of professional activity, labor functions necessary knowledge and skills, a competency map for the head of the sales department was compiled.

10 important competencies for a manager have been selected:

1. Leadership.
2. Decision making.
3. Organization of work.
4. Achievement orientation.
5. Customer orientation.
6. Teamwork.
7. Motivation and development of employees.
8. Analytical thinking.
9. Sociability.
10. Loyalty.

Consider the levels of development for each competency.

1. Leadership.

The ability to influence the behavior, beliefs and motivation of the team.

Level, points	Brief description of the level
1 - Beginner level	Avoids situations in which he is forced to play the role of leader. Shows low activity in situations requiring group mobilization. In communication with subordinates, he is kept formally, not active enough. Unable to influence the opinions and behavior of subordinates. Tries to "push through" subordinates. Brings destructiveness to the team. Often communicates in raised tones. Applies an authoritarian management style.
2 - Level of development	Demonstrates a personal example. Tries to lead. In competition, it cedes its role to the informal leader. Influences subordinates, relying solely on their administrative powers. Can't overcome resistance. Can influence new employees and loyal subordinates.
3 - Experience Level	Is the leader in the team. Mobilizes the team. Resolves conflicts within the team. Instills in the team the goals and objectives of the development of the organization. Convinces subordinates of the need to complete their tasks. Transfers his experience and methods to the team, but does not develop. More often uses a democratic style of management.
4- Mastery level	Is the leader in the team. Keeps the team confident in success even in critical situations. Willingly takes responsibility for the group and for himself. Successfully influences others. Inspires subordinates, awakens in them initiative, the desire for achievements. Trains and develops each team member. More often uses a democratic style of management.
5 - Expert level	The undisputed leader. Forms a training and career team. The team is focused on development and achievement of high results. Creates an atmosphere of development, mutual assistance and cooperation in the team. Able to apply different management styles, depending on the situation.

2. Decision making.

The ability of the leader to make effective decisions and the willingness to take responsibility for them.

1 – First level	Unable to make decisions on his own. Shows no initiative. Doesn't take into account circumstances. Does not coordinate his actions with the actions of others. Does not defend his decisions in front of subordinates and management. Often changes his mind and agrees with the opinion of the majority. Does not take responsibility for the decisions made. Responsibility shifts to subordinates. Not ready for risk.
2 – Level of evolution	He tries to analyze the events that have happened, in especially difficult situations he pulls with a solution. Weak initiative. There is no vision of the development of the situation after the decisions made. More often, the decision is made after consulting with a more experienced colleague. Does not sufficiently understand the need to coordinate their decisions with related departments. He is not able to defend his decisions in front of management and subordinates with arguments. Responsibility for decisions taken seeks to share it among all members of the team. Makes decisions based on previous experience. Follows predetermined decision-making procedures.
3 – Experience level	Collects and uses all the information necessary for decision making. Regularly reviews and agrees on decision limits in accordance with its role. Delegate decisions to others if possible. Makes decisions independently, only with the already existing experience of making similar decisions. Rarely takes risks. On the own experience understands the need to coordinate their actions with the actions of others for effective decision-making, but does so regularly.
4- Skill level	Ready to take risks if necessary. Understands the need to coordinate their actions with the actions of others, tries to do this regularly. In the absence of a leader, he is able to independently make decisions and bear responsibility for them. Uses clear arguments when defending his decisions, is able to convince managers, to captivate the team. Organizes interaction between his subordinates, controls their activities, recalls the deadlines, the conditions that employees forgot about, thereby showing a sense of responsibility. looking for various options implementation of decisions. Takes responsibility for decision making. He defends his decisions, convincing managers that he already has experience in solving these problems. Takes responsibility for a specific area of ​​work.
5 – Expert Level	Draws up comprehensive plans, conducts a comprehensive analysis. Uses a variety of analytical methods and finds possible solutions, which it then compares in terms of their value. Always considers alternative options before making decisions, analyzes risks and consequences. Carefully analyzes new events and their possible consequences. Makes strategic decisions. He knows how to make the right decisions in any situation. Proves the need to support the execution of decisions at all levels of management. Makes unpopular decisions when the situation calls for it. High efficiency of the decisions made.

3. Organization of work

The ability to effectively plan the implementation of the tasks set by the HTP, the ability to correctly delegate tasks to them, effectively motivate and competently monitor the implementation of tasks.

1 – First level	Does not consider it necessary to motivate subordinates. Does not control the progress of the task. Does not use the SMART principle when setting goals. Meetings / planning meetings with the team are not held or are chaotic.
2 – Level of evolution	During the meeting / planning meetings, it is not clear enough to set tasks for subordinates. Does not indicate specific standards and control parameters. Does not define actions by time. To motivate a subordinate, he uses exclusively methods of material motivation and administrative resources. Poor knowledge of SMART technology.
3 – Experience level	During the meeting, he clearly and specifically sets the goals and objectives of the VTP. If necessary, explains their meaning and essence. Gives clear comments and recommendations so that the task is completed as efficiently as possible. Uses SMART technique when setting goals. Periodically uses methods of non-material motivation.
4- Skill level	Determines in advance the intermediate control points for the execution of the task. Thinks through mechanisms for fulfilling orders in unforeseen situations. Excellent knowledge of SMART technology. Applies methodologies or project controls.
5 – Expert Level	Knows and applies various project management techniques. Clear planning of tasks and results. Constant monitoring and adjustment of tasks. Excellent knowledge of SMART technology. Knows how to motivate employees.

4. Achievement orientation.

— the ability to achieve the maximum possible desired result by setting goals/priorities correctly;
- the ability to make efforts and remain active to achieve the goals and objectives;
- the ability to clearly present the final result and strive to achieve it in the process of work.

1 - Beginner level	Satisfied with the results that are obtained. The choice of tactics for the implementation of plans is chaotic. Fully writes off the responsibility for the result on external circumstances.
2 - Level of development	Creates its own quality criteria to measure results and compare them to their own standards, not those set by others. Wants to be successful. When faced with failures, they lose perseverance, interest and pace of work. Focuses on mistakes. Not always consistent in their decisions.
3 - Experience Level	Continuously and gradually improves the performance of its work; constantly finds ways to perform tasks in the area of ​​​​its immediate duties better, easier, faster and more qualitatively. He confidently declares that he plans to achieve a result much more than planned. Adequately adjusts it after trial elections. Works with enthusiasm all the time. Attentive and focused. When faced with setbacks, maintains perseverance and pace of work. Speaking of failures, he connects them with his own miscalculations and limitations (wrong choice of tactics, lack of knowledge, erudition, inability to "get together" in stressful situation). Ensures that goals are achievable within agreed commitments. Finds the correct criteria for success and evaluation. Reveals and highlights the likely circumstances in achieving goals.
4- Mastery level	Sets elusive goals - while making decisions and prioritizing based on accurate calculation. Defines and sets clear goals. Sets goals above current performance. Uses different methods to achieve goals. Constantly evaluates own performance. Establishes criteria for success and performance evaluation. Considers the support of others in achieving goals. Revises goals and adapts them to changing conditions.
5 - Expert level	Allocates significant resources and/or time (in a situation of uncertainty) to obtain long-term benefits and benefits. Focuses on the goals of the organization in order to evaluate and prioritize tasks. Continuously evaluates achievement of goals at all levels. Reasonably assigns tasks to specific performers. Develops new methods and practices for translating new ideas into action. Assesses the reality of the implementation of ideas in business. Promotes forward-thinking ideas with energy and enthusiasm.

5. Customer orientation.

— understanding explicit and implicit needs;
- the effort and time spent on meeting these needs;
- response to wishes and complaints;
- Establishing and maintaining relationships with clients;
— focus on long-term cooperation.

1 - Beginner level	Expresses a negative attitude towards customers. Can't find mutual language with clients. Conducts negotiations with a manager or colleague. Restricted in making a decision to work with a client.
2 - Level of development	Accompanies the client (finishes client requests, their requirements and complaints, but does not clarify implicit needs, hidden problems or customer questions). Independently negotiates with the client. Operates strictly within the established limits of responsibility. Coordinates all actions with management. Maintains a client base.
3 - Experience Level	Fully available to the client (works on explicit and implicit client requests). Confident negotiator. Capable of influencing opposite side. Supports and actively develops the client base.
4- Mastery level	Applies a long-term perspective (works on long term goals client, is looking for long-term benefits for him. Able to negotiate with key persons and reach agreements. Able to creatively solve significant, complex, non-standard problems. Capable of implementing significant improvements in sales methods and procedures. Presents persuasive and well-founded arguments. Persuasively expresses his own point of view. Adapts and develops arguments to achieve desired results. Works with the client's deepest needs: Knows the client's business and/or collects information about what the client really needs beyond what was originally formulated. Selects from available (or specially ordered) goods and services those that meet the deepest needs of the client.
5 - Expert level	Acts as a trusted advisor to the client. Able to interact with new potential customers. Well versed with difficult situations with clients. In negotiations, seeks to achieve a mutually beneficial result. Introduces innovations in methods of interaction with clients. Implements strategic initiatives in this competency. Uses a long-term perspective: When solving customer problems, works in the long term. May forego immediate benefits for long-term relationships Seeks long-term benefits that also benefit the client. Acts as a trusted personal advisor; included in the decision-making process on the part of the customer. Forms own opinion about the needs, problems and opportunities of the client. Acts on that opinion (eg, recommends approaches that deviate from those originally proposed by the client).

6. Teamwork.

The ability to work for a common result, creating a common information field, to carry out responsibly
their duties, respect other team members and the agreements reached among themselves.

1 – First level	Strongly defends his options. Passive, she takes part in the common work. Openly conflicts with other participants or sabotages them.
2 – Level of evolution	Cooperates with colleagues in the implementation of only their own options. If disputes arise, either gets involved or keeps silent. In the presentation of the result, emphasizes that the group made the wrong decision, because. did not listen to his opinion.
3 – Experience level	Cooperative in relation to other participants - hears a different point of view. Suggests to use best ideas, considers the plans of each. Gives each participant the opportunity to express themselves - to contribute. Inspires colleagues to contribute to the team. Notices and acknowledges other people's contributions to the team. Shares experience and information with colleagues.
4- Skill level	Easily works in a team. Anticipates possible disagreements and takes measures to prevent them. In case of disagreement, he interacts based on the goals and objectives of the company. Takes initiatives to improve teamwork. Inspires all team members to make a useful contribution to the upholstered work. Determines what support team members need and provides that support. Responds positively to the contribution to the team of colleagues.
5 – Expert Level	Uses knowledge of the strengths, interests and qualities that need to be developed in team members to determine personal tasks in teamwork. Provides regular feedback to team members. Encourages team members to understand personal and collective responsibility.

7. Motivation and development of employees.

Theoretical knowledge and practical skills, which consist in the ability to train employees in new functional duties for them and the norms of the corporate culture characteristic of the respective position.

1 – First level	Does not have the desire and ability to train subordinates and mentor. Doesn't see any point in it. Does not use employee motivation tools.
2 – Level of evolution	Has a desire to instruct an employee, but does not have theoretical knowledge and practical skills on how to effectively implement it, or has ordinary ideas as a procedure for training an employee in the workplace. Tries to motivate employees.
3 – Experience level	Has a desire and good theoretical knowledge of the mentoring mechanism, but does not have sufficient practical experience for its effective management. Or, on the contrary, has sufficient practical experience in introducing an employee to a position/profession/corporate culture, but it is not structured and not justified by the system of theoretical knowledge of the modern system of "personnel management". Builds own knowledge about the organization, its people and services. Looking for opportunities to develop their own skills. Positive about feedback. Regularly analyzes and improves personal development plans. Motivates with limited types of motivation.
4- Skill level	Gives employees tasks or provides training to develop their working qualities. When identifying development opportunities, it takes into account the real needs of the business in its unit. Possesses high level theoretical knowledge and practical skills that determine the mentoring process: effectively and within the allotted time, trains the employee in functional duties, corporate culture norms, existing formal and informal communication channels. Agrees and implements action plans for personnel development according to the SMART standard. Strives to establish and provide positive feedback. Supports people in their desire to put into practice the acquired knowledge. Regularly evaluates progress in personal development. Knows how to motivate employees.
5 – Expert Level	Organizes a system of long-term mentoring or training, seeks opportunities to expand and develop the abilities of other employees, provides additional tasks or training aimed at developing the skills and abilities of others; when identifying development opportunities takes into account the real? business needs throughout the organization and in the long term Ensures that learning and development plans make a useful contribution to the business. Ensures that the processes and procedures of activities inspire staff to learn. Requests resources to support learning at all levels of the organization. Successfully applies material and non-material motivation of employees

8. Analytical thinking.

The ability to analyze problems and identify their constituent elements, to draw systematic and logical conclusions based on
on the right information.

1 – First level	Divides problems into a number of simpler tasks or activities without assigning an order of importance. Makes a list of tasks without setting a specific order or priority. Highlights only the most obvious factors that characterize external environment. Does not take into account how his decisions or actions will affect the work. Operates with separate facts, does not link them together. He does not notice the interconnection of phenomena.
2 – Level of evolution	Establishes a causal relationship between two aspects of a situation. Can divide these elements into two categories: pros and cons. Identifies both obvious and less obvious factors that describe the organization's external environment. It does not take into account all the important information. Does not take into account the work of competitors. Limitedly sees the impact of his decisions and actions on the company's activities (transfers responsibility to external circumstances (hope for the end of a difficult economic situation, the inability to change anything in the existing conditions). When analyzing the situation, he identifies and compares homogeneous information. Establishes the most obvious cause-and-effect relationships between phenomena.
3 – Experience level	Takes into account the entire population in the analysis external factors that can determine the future of the organization. Knows the area of ​​responsibility of each employee, his contribution to the achievement of goals. Does not shift the responsibility for the decrease in volumes to external circumstances - crisis, etc. Predicts the impact of their actions on the work of the branch (employee training, non-material motivation, customer development). Analyzing the situation, he compares diverse information, reveals all significant cause-and-effect relationships, linking the facts into a single system.
4- Skill level	Highlights multiple causal relationships; sees several potential causes of a phenomenon, several consequences of an action. Analyzes the relationship between the components of the problem, is able to anticipate obstacles, counting on several moves ahead. In conditions of information deficiency, it determines the links that are missing from the complete picture. Anticipates changes in the goals and functionality of other departments and, taking this into account, builds his work. Ready to integrate into a change in strategy and act in conditions of limited resources. Effectively structures and systematizes large volumes of heterogeneous information. Draws correct conclusions based on incomplete and/or conflicting data.
5 – Expert Level	Highlights multiple causal relationships; sees several potential causes of a phenomenon, several consequences of an action. Analyzes the relationship between the components of the problem, is able to anticipate obstacles, counting on several moves ahead. Draws up comprehensive plans, conducts a comprehensive analysis. Uses a variety of analytical methods and finds possible solutions, which are then compared in terms of their value. Assesses the risks of each decision.

9. Sociability.

1 – First level	Communicates little and at a low professional level with clients Demonstrates poor presentation skills Cannot influence the client.
2 - Level of development	Develops a professional level of communication with clients. Demonstrates the development of presentation skills. Tries to influence the client.
3 – Experience level	Communicates with clients in a professional manner. Possesses presentation skills. Has negotiation skills.
4- Skill level	Correctly formulates and conveys information. Defends the interests of the company Knows how to present the company, product, himself. In negotiations, demonstrates the skills of influence and persuasion.
5 – Expert Level	Expresses ideas clearly and precisely. Skillfully negotiates with the client, argues his point of view. In controversial situations, looking for mutually beneficial solutions. Influences the outcome of negotiations. Able to work with failures. Able to create new communication channels and communicate information effectively. Resistant to emotional pressure.

10. Loyalty.

The ability and readiness of an employee to build their behavior in accordance with the needs, priorities and values ​​of the company.

1 – First level	Ignores or persistently disobeys company rules. Makes the least effort to meet company standards or does the least to keep a job. Requires constant supervision.
2 - Level of development	Makes an effort to comply with the rules and regulations. Dress appropriately and respect company standards. Models the rules of conduct in the company.
3 - Experience Level	Understands and actively supports the mission and goals of the company. Aligns its actions and priorities in accordance with the needs of the company. Recognizes the need to collaborate in order to achieve the company's major goals.
4- Mastery level	Makes personal or professional sacrifices. He puts the needs of the company ahead of his own. Makes personal sacrifices related to professional self-determination and preferences, as well as family matters, in the name of meeting the needs of the company.
5 - Expert level	Transmits the mission and goals of the company to subordinates. Forms a corporate culture focused on loyalty, development and achievement of high results.

Ranking results and determining the weight of competencies for the position of head of sales department.

We compare competencies in pairs and identify the dependence of the level of competency development on the competency being compared.

0 points - the level of competence does not affect the level of the compared competence.

1 point - moderate dependence and impact on success.

2 points - competence strongly affects the severity of the compared competence.

Benefits of creating and applying a competency model for the organization and the employee:

For an employee:

— understanding the requirements for their competencies;

- Entry into the personnel reserve.

— motivation for development and achievement of high results.

For organization:

— assessment of employees;

— requirements for the selection and rotation of personnel;

— personnel development planning;

— formation of a personnel reserve;

— staff motivation;

- creating a KPI model.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the key competencies that should be professional leader sales department . If you are looking for an ROP, or vice versa, you want to develop certain skills in yourself, be sure to focus on this list of personal and professional qualities.

Professional competencies of the head of the sales department: who to look for?

1. Goal-oriented and results-oriented

This quality should be "off scale". Orientation to the result, perhaps, the main competence of the head of the sales department. It should border on the position of "result by any means", of course, within the framework of the law and common sense.

In more detail, purposefulness is understood as the ability to set goals for oneself and others, the ability to plan the achievement of results, in the first place, the implementation of a sales plan, as well as the ability to mobilize resources and generate ideas to get what you want.

2. Responsibility

Responsibility is the competence of the head of the sales department number 2. This refers to the desire and ability to take responsibility for the result. And also for myself and my employees. Listen carefully to candidates to identify and notice their focus. If a future ROP says that the plans in his sales department were not fulfilled due to the global crisis, greedy management, stupid employees or aggressive competitors, the "responsibility" competency is absent as a phenomenon.

3. Ability to motivate

An important skill for ROP is the ability to motivate employees. Sales, especially active ones, are quite stressful work, and in case of any failures, managers can periodically give up. The task of the ROP is to return salespeople to a resourceful state, and to do this constantly and systematically.

4. Systematic thinking

Another competence of the head of the sales department is the ability to decompose when planning the result, as well as the ability to see the connection between daily activities and expected results. This also includes the ability to see cause and effect relationships in the sales department. This will be needed to fulfill plans and achieve certain indicators, as they say, in the most environmentally friendly way.

5. Professional competencies

This is a set of knowledge and ideas related to the previous competency about how the sales department should work. This includes setting up channels and ways to attract customers, active sales on the incoming stream, the ability to draw up regulations, instructions, etc.

6. Personnel management

The head of the sales department must be able to manage employees. This applies to both global processes, from the selection of managers to monitoring their work, and particulars: the ability to conduct motivational conversations or form a team. It is also important that the ROP is able to competently conduct personal sales management, the so-called operational management.

7. Negotiation skills

Last on the list, but not least, is the ability to negotiate and sell in person. The head of the sales department is responsible for personally leading customers and winning negotiations. This gives him the opportunity to be "in the market", as well as to train managers of the department by personal example and experience.

The list turned out to be impressive, and at the same time, all of the above competencies are extremely important. You may have your own additional requirements for the head of the sales department, but these are the skills and abilities that you need to pay attention to in the first place.

Kondratenko Vasily

Evgeny Smirnov

# Business nuances

Leadership competencies

Experience is the basis of managerial competencies. Experience implies not only the availability of theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to apply them in the professional field.

Article navigation

• Types of professional competencies
• Managerial competencies of managers
• Basic and special managerial competencies
• Competence improvement methods
• Professional competencies in different areas
• Professional competencies of a lawyer
• Professional competencies of an engineer
• Chef's professional competencies
• Conclusion

Managerial competencies are a set of knowledge, skills and personal characteristics that allow a manager to effectively cope with the duties of a leader. The degree to which a particular manager demonstrates a high level of official competencies determines how competently he will solve operational and strategic tasks in order to achieve the set goals.

Experience is the basis of managerial competencies. Experience implies not only the availability of theoretical knowledge, but also the ability to apply them in the professional field. First of all, these are the skills acquired by a specialist in different positions in different companies and tested in practice. In other words, managerial competencies are a key indicator of the manager's professionalism in terms of effective management.

Types of professional competencies

Regardless of whether a person occupies a managerial or executive position, there are two key groups of competencies:

• Basic competencies- a set of personal qualities that determine the effectiveness of a particular specialist as a whole. This group includes volitional, intellectual, emotional and communicative characteristics of a person.
• Special competencies- this is a range of knowledge, skills and abilities that are directly related to the professional activities of a particular specialist. For different positions, these competencies differ. For example, the special competence of an expert interpreter is the skill of simultaneous translation, and the special competences of a secretary include the competent compilation and management of the manager's work schedule.

All competencies of the employee, reflecting the capabilities of his personal growth, are conventionally divided into two groups:

• technical competencies of a specialist - professional knowledge, skills and abilities that are necessary for an employee holding a specific position;
• behavioral competencies are the universal competencies of an employee, including personal characteristics that characterize the effectiveness of a person as a whole.

In another way, this classification can be represented as personal and functional characteristics of a manager. The personal competencies of a leader are in many respects the initial inclinations of a specialist. The task of a manager who wants to raise his professional bar is to develop his strengths and lift the weak. While easily mastered functional competencies come during training and in the process of work, personal leadership competencies of management require the application of strong-willed efforts in order to develop their natural inclinations and eliminate shortcomings as much as possible.

Managerial competencies of managers

A professional manager is a specialist who must possess and apply basic managerial competencies in his work. While, for example, professional competencies an electronics salesperson does not require serious organizational skills; for a manager, the ability to manage business processes and subordinates is the foundation of the basics. A managerial position has its own specifics, which are reflected in competencies. This specificity is presented below in the form of abstracts:

• The work of a manager, unlike other types of intellectual labor activity, does not have a specific time frame. Therefore, the level and indicators of achievement of intermediate results are the main guidelines in the assessment of the manager.
• The strategies and operational actions of the manager are continuously adjusted under the influence of external market conditions. The ability to act in non-standard situations is far from the last place in the list of managerial competencies.
• The manager is responsible for the actions of his subordinates, takes into account risks and seizes opportunities. The professional competencies of a leader require the ability to assemble a strong team and organize an effective workflow.
• The corporate culture of the management and the style of management practiced by them forms the business reputation of the company. The manager of any link is the bearer of corporate values ​​that directly affect special competencies.

All these factors determine the range of competencies that a manager should possess. Control over the extent to which a specialist possesses certain professional skills is carried out by the immediate supervisor and specialists of the HR department, who enter the employee’s parameters into special tables and track progress. This format allows you to quickly identify the weaknesses of the manager and develop a program to eliminate them.

Basic and special managerial competencies

The core competencies of a manager include:

1. Systemic strategic thinking. A leader who does not think ahead and does not track global trends is not able to be effective in the long term.
2. Mastering the basics of marketing. Understanding the market and the company's place in the market, the ability to analyze information and synthesize effective marketing solutions with a limited budget - a brief description of marketing competencies.
3. Financial management skills. The manager must be able to correctly distribute the limited resources of the company and use effective investment mechanisms to increase income.
4. Knowledge of production, commercial and logistics processes.
5. Development skills for new products and services.
6. Knowledge of business and administration.
7. Understanding and applying the relevant legal framework governing a particular business sector.
8. Developed communication and personnel management skills.
9. Understanding and applying the basics of information, commercial and economic security.

As for special managerial competencies, they depend on the specific industry and the specifics of the position held. For example, the competencies of a chief accountant who actually occupies a managerial position differ significantly from the competencies of a commercial director or PR manager.

Managerial competencies can be considered not only in the context of basic and special skills. An alternative classification is the distribution of managerial competencies according to the nature of the leader's actions. This includes:

• Vision is the ability to predict and think at a tactical and strategic level, considering risks and seizing emerging opportunities.
• Action is the ability to purposefully and effectively organize your actions and the actions of your team to achieve a specific result.
• Interaction is the ability to form effective and comfortable relationships with partners, senior management, subordinates and other people.

Competence improvement methods

A successful manager systematically improves basic and special competencies. Professional development is carried out in several ways, which are conditionally divided into:

1. Traditional teaching methods;
2. Active learning methods;
3. Workplace training.

Traditional teaching methods are used when a specialist needs to transfer the amount of knowledge and help to assimilate them in short term. Traditional teaching methods include:

• lectures - one-sided presentation of educational material mainly in the form of theory with minimal feedback;
• seminars - a training format in which there is an active communication between the teacher and the audience;
• educational films are a convenient format that provides the possibility of remote development of new competencies.

Active learning methods, compared to traditional methods, are more effective and individual approach allowing to increase the level of competencies in a short time. This category includes:

• trainings - concise theoretical training with maximum practical development of skills;
• computer training is a software way of presenting and practicing the acquired knowledge and skills;
• group discussions - oral exchange of experience in the context of solving a specific problem;
• business games - modeling and working out situations that arise in professional practice;
• role-playing games - teaching interpersonal communications by modeling learning situations.

Workplace learning methods are a full-fledged practice with the acquisition of real skills and the exchange of experience. These methods include:

• temporary internships in other departments of the company to strengthen horizontal corporate ties;
• drafting individual program training based on the results of third-party observation of the workflow of the tested specialist;
• equal coaching with elements of informal mentoring for the exchange of experience between specialists in different areas;
• vertical direct mentoring under the control of senior management;
• coaching with independent search for solutions with the help of a trainer;
• familiarization with the corporate culture and value competencies of the manager.

There are many ways to improve competencies. For effective learning, it is important that the development of new knowledge and skills occurs slightly ahead of current trends, focuses on the comprehensive development of the company and effective interpersonal communications.

Professional competencies in various fields

The necessary personal and intellectual competencies of a professional in each field are different. For clarity, let's compare the knowledge, skills and abilities required to work as a qualified lawyer, engineer and chef.

Professional competencies of a lawyer

The main indicators of a qualified lawyer are such professional competencies as:

• knowledge of basic laws, their competent interpretation and application in practice;
• the ability to qualify events and facts from the point of view of law;
• skills in drafting legal documents, providing advice and drawing up legal opinions;
• ability to make legal decisions and act within the law;
• skills to establish the facts of offenses and take measures to restore violated rights;
• systematic professional development;
• in-depth study of legislation and practice of its application.

Professional competencies of an engineer

An engineer must possess a wide range of technical knowledge and a number of personal qualities. His professional competencies include:

• understanding of technology and principles of organization of production;
• possession of analytical skills, the use of mathematical and economic calculations;
• maintaining business and engineering documentation;
• selection of qualified contractors and effective interaction with them;
• knowledge of regulatory documentation and GOST;
• advanced computer skills and special software;
• responsibility and ability to make quick decisions in difficult situations;
• High communication skills with subordinates and superiors.

Chef's professional competencies

The chef, as a person who is responsible for the operation of the establishment, must possess a large list of professional competencies, which are summarized below:

• understanding the basics of merchandising and cooking techniques of national cuisines;
• the ability to competently zone a restaurant in accordance with sanitary standards and principles of ergonomics;
• managing finances, developing budgets and evaluating the effectiveness of the kitchen and the institution as a whole;
• possession of personnel selection methods, the formation of an effective staff and the establishment of communications with subordinates;
• knowledge of the legal side of the restaurant business, understanding the rules and regulations for maintaining internal documentation.

A feature of corporate competencies is that they are universal for all employees of the company - from an ordinary specialist to a top manager. Corporate competencies are determined by the values ​​of the company and its internal corporate culture. Therefore, this category includes the skills and personal qualities that every employee of the company should possess.

The development of corporate models and competencies lies with the management. Each company names the special competencies used to evaluate employees in its own way. Examples of corporate competencies look like this:

• leadership;
• teamwork skills;
• loyalty to the company;
• customer orientation;
• result orientation.

Corporate competencies are chosen by the company's management in accordance with the specifics of the activity and, as a rule, are reduced to certain models of thinking, behavior and ethics of employees. If a company focuses on a high level of service, value competencies will be formed around a customer-oriented approach. If a corporation values ​​the cohesion of the team and the disclosure of individual creative potential, then communication and organizational skills will dominate in corporate competencies.

What is a competency? As the name implies, this is something related to our competence. Then perhaps it makes sense to ask first, what is competence?

Let's remember the definitions.

The learning process is based on three components - knowledge, skills and abilities (KAS). Let's look at these directions on the example of a game of chess.

Knowledge- information on the profession, they are measured by tests and surveys, checked in exams. To know about the game of chess is to remember what the board looks like and what rules the pieces move by.

Skills- conscious things that a person does at the level of understanding. Knowing how to play chess is not only good at remembering the rules of the pieces and the principles of winning/losing. He who knows how to play chess played a couple of games himself, got the first experience. Often not the most positive.

Skills- unconscious skills that a person uses on a semi-intuitive level, automatically. A skillful chess player easily leads the game, thinks it through two or three moves ahead and, at least, does not make stupid mistakes.

So, Competence- the ability to analyze your skills on a conscious level, manage your growth, invent and master new things, find solutions to non-standard, creative tasks based on existing skills. The ability to return in a crisis situation with the “realization” of one’s skill.

In fact, a competent chess player is one who knows how to analyze someone else's game and understand the train of thought and the mistakes of those who participated in it.

Exercise

Take any other area of ​​human activity, for example, driving a car. What within the framework of this activity is knowledge, what is skill, and what is skill? What kind of driver shall we call competent?

Our competence consists of competences. When we say about a person that he is a strong professional, a strong leader, a master of his craft, we actually say that this a specialist has a unique set of competencies that make him competent in this profession.

Competencies are:

General corporate

managerial

Personal

Professional

Often the first three blocks of competencies are combined into one - Corporate competencies. So in one block there can be Corporativeness (general corporate competence), Creativity ( personal competence) and Leadership (managerial competence). This is not a bug, it's just one of the approaches that somewhat simplify the system. If we accept it, then we can say that competencies are corporate and professional.

Corporate competencies- general requirements that the company makes to all its employees. It doesn’t matter who the employee is by position and what his role is - these competencies must be at least somehow manifested. The simplest example is that those competencies that unite all managers are corporate ones.

Professional competencies These are requirements for a specific profession.

Professional Knowledge, Skills and Skills of the head of the personnel department and the head of the IT department are completely different. So the competencies that are required in order to manage this particular department, these employees, we will call professional. Often the professional competencies of the manager and his subordinates coincide, or, in other words, the manager is simply obliged to understand the work of his employees.

The study of competencies is done with a simple goal - to understand who in the team is how professional and corporate. To do this, you need to take several steps.

Understand what competencies your employees should have. This is called competency model building.

Make a list of competencies for each position in the company that a person in this position should have. It is also necessary to determine how well the person in this position should master each competency. This is called creating a job profile or profiling jobs in a company.

And, in fact, the assessment of personnel according to the accepted profiles. Surveys, tests, practical cases are created - everything that will allow us to evaluate the knowledge and skills of our employees and, based on the results of the assessment, we compare real competencies and those indicators that are defined in the competency profile for this position.

Competence development levels are assessed in many different ways. If there are letter models (from A to F), there are ten-point models, but the most common model is the assessment of competencies according to four main indicators:

0 - competence is not shown at the time of assessment or is completely absent from the person being assessed;

1 - competence is not shown enough, knowledge with gaps, skills are weak, there is no skill;

2 - competence is shown enough, knowledge is sufficient, skills are formed, there is a skill;

3 - manifested beyond enough, knowledge, skills and abilities at the level of a master, there is understanding and motivation.

Any competence has its origin in the past, is somehow manifested in the present and has some potential in the future. We can only measure the present, we need to measure and compare it with the standard that we have in the competence profile.

Of course, the higher the manager's position, the more requirements the company will impose on his corporate competencies, and the requirements for professional competencies of such a manager may decrease. This does not mean that the manager should be less professional than his subordinates - we are talking about the requirements that are critical for daily successful activities. Often, managers are much better versed in professional subtleties than their subordinates - and this means that the actual development of professional competencies for them is much higher than the requirements for them. By and large, the professional competencies of a manager are those competencies that help him understand the specifics of what he manages.

Let's take two competencies as an example - one corporate and one professional.

Initiative- corporate competence - many companies would like all employees to be proactive. But how much?

"1" Point. Weak competence “Initiativity” is when an employee understands the importance of initiatives, but he himself rarely comes up with separate proposals as part of his duties. His initiatives, if any, relate to local improvements within his work. More often, such an employee takes the initiative under the pressure of circumstances. He is able to implement new methods of work, but only those suggested by management. If this is a leader, then he does not always support the proposals of subordinates, requiring efforts to implement them.

"2" points. A strong competency called Proactive is when an employee comes up with ideas, new approaches, and improves workflows to achieve better performance for the entire department. Refines, enriches and develops existing methods and approaches. Applies and effectively adapts them to new conditions. Calculates the feasibility of their initiatives. Takes responsibility for implementing the initiative. If this is a leader, then he supports the initiative and creativity of subordinates and is looking for opportunities to introduce their valuable ideas into the work of the unit.

Just from the description of these two positions of competence (corresponding to 1 and 2 points), it can be seen that if the performer can have quite enough initiative level equal to 1, that the manager must be initiative by at least 2 points, otherwise many of the ideas of his subordinates may not get development in the company.

As a professional competence, let's take as an example game of chess, analyzed above according to ZUN. So, some of our employees must be good chess players because they work in the chess department. Their goals are to win all tournaments, earn maximum amount personal points and grow rapidly by chess ranks to masters of sports of international class. And their leader, the head of the chess department, no longer sits at the chessboard himself, but organizes and controls his chess players.

"1" Point. Weak competence "Playing chess" is when an employee understands the rules of the game of chess, remembers weak and strong moves, does not "yawn" his pawns and pieces. He takes part in the analysis of his own and other people's games, but he himself rarely understands the reasons for this or that move, because he lacks experience in their analysis. He knows the rules of tournaments, but he does not know how to distribute his strength and attentiveness in such a way as to win even the final games of the tournament. Performance is highly dependent on fatigue.

"2" points. A strong "Playing Chess" competency is when an employee knows gambits and defenses, understands the subtleties, strengths and weaknesses of each opening. He is refining his playing style, adding new features and approaches to it. He actively analyzes his own and other people's games, acts as the initiator of such an analysis, often himself understands the reasons for certain moves, and skillfully solves chess problems. Participating in tournaments, he distributes his strength and attentiveness well, studies his opponents and knows how to maintain a high athletic form until a complete victory.

It is clear from the description that it is critically important for every athlete - a chess player (an employee of the chess department) to have a professional competence of "Playing chess" no less than 2. Otherwise, the planned indicators for won tournaments and earned ranks will not be met. For the head of a department, who no longer sits at the chessboard on his own, a level of professional competence equal to 1 point is quite enough. In the end, no one is embarrassed by boxing or football coaches who have not entered the ring or field themselves for a long time.

So, as a conclusion, we can say that the total requirements for corporate and professional competencies of an employee moving up the career ladder are unchanged (1 + 2 = 3 and 2 + 1 = 3).

On this occasion, one story comes to mind: the manager of a large furniture manufacturing company was once asked what for him is the most important quality that determines the professionalism of the performer? To which he, almost without hesitation, replied that a professional is one who shows quality in the details of his work and can answer any, even the most specific question. For example, a purchasing manager must know everything about the types and materials of edge for cabinet furniture, who is the manufacturer, purchase prices, characteristics.

The second question was, what quality does he value most in managers? And he said that a professional manager is one who knows how to analyze, highlight the main and secondary, and set priorities. If we continue to talk about the edge, then for the manager, in order to decide on the edge for a new line of safe furniture for children, it is enough to remember that the “sharp” PVC edge can hurt the child and is not suitable, but a rounded “T-shaped edge” is needed. This knowledge is enough to set the task for the procurement manager and monitor its implementation.

Krylov Roman, business consultant of Almaz Group of Companies

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Before talking about the competencies of the head of the sales department, we need to decide on the understanding of what a competency is.

So, the classic definition: competence - (from the Latin competo - I achieve; I correspond, I approach). It has several meanings: 1) the scope of powers granted by law, charter or other act to a specific body or official; 2) Knowledge, experience in a particular area.

The following definition is important for our understanding: competence- this is the personal ability of a specialist to solve a certain class of professional tasks. We will also understand the formally described requirements for personal, professional and other qualities of the head of the sales department as competence.

A set of competencies; the presence of knowledge and experience necessary for effective activity in a given subject area is called competence.

Competencies can be divided into:

Corporate competencies - necessary for all employees of the company,

Managerial competencies - necessary for company leaders (all or only a certain level),

Special (specific) competencies required only for a certain category of employees ( ex: sales manager).

Let us give an example of the corporate competencies of one of the companies engaged in the wholesale trade of equipment. Regardless of the position held, each employee of this company must have the following competencies:

Mastering and using new knowledge and skills, i.e. not only constant study, but also the use in work of the new knowledge, skills, own and other people's experience obtained as a result of such study;

Effective communication and collaboration, i.e. the ability to work successfully together with other members of the organization, to achieve coordinated actions to achieve the goals of the company;

Orientation to the needs of customers implies the desire of the employee to understand and satisfy the needs of customers as much as possible, evaluate the usefulness of the actions taken in terms of additional satisfaction of customer needs. Moreover, the employee should treat colleagues at work as internal customers;

Result-oriented, i.e. understanding by the employee of the tasks facing him and the company and the ability to systematically achieve their implementation.

As an example of managerial competencies, we offer a set of competencies for a middle manager of one of the companies that develops and sells IT solutions:

Professionalism — Possession of universal knowledge and experience in at least one of the company's activities.

Organization — distribution (control) resources : the ability to provide employees with the resources and powers necessary to achieve the intended goals; establish the minimum necessary control; monitor the results achieved, correlating them with the established plan.

organization – determination of personal priorities and goals corresponding to the tasks of the company; reasonable distribution of working time; productive work with documents and effective solution administrative matters; optimal processing of information, highlighting important points without excessive detail; ability to work under heavy load.

Communication - the ability to "listen and hear" messages and information, to conduct pre-prepared and spontaneous speeches that are appropriate for the audience and topic and ensure the achievement of the desired results.

Development of subordinates , i.e. development of relevant skills and abilities of employees in accordance with specific professional needs; setting complex professional tasks; empowering employees to take on more responsibility. Creating an environment that encourages people to achieve and develop their own abilities; encouragement in employees of energy, enthusiasm, devotion, trust and striving for excellence.

Delegation of authority – those. the transfer of part of the functions of the head to a subordinate, subject to the transfer of responsibility for the task assigned.

External contacts – development and maintenance of constructive relationships with customers, suppliers, public and government representatives; manifestation special attention to the client, punctuality in the supply of products and services. Representing the company in relations with external organizations, performing work with constant concern for the company's reputation.

Communication skills - the ability to interact effectively with others; the ability to win support at any organizational level.

Conflict Management - the ability to understand a variety of points of view, to exercise control over stressful and crisis situations; ability to resolve conflicts and disagreements.

Constant display and encouragement of attention to quality work at all levels, both within the company and outside it; critical attitude to mediocre results.

Achievement of the set goals; acceptance of a system of responsibility for the results and performance of work with a sense of responsibility for labor productivity.

Innovation - striving for the development and application of new progressive methods of work.

Intellectual level - mind, ability to think logically, education.

When starting to develop a competency model for a sales manager, it makes sense to first define corporate and managerial competencies, and only then move on to developing specific competencies. Special or specific competencies decipher the concept of "Professionalism" for a specific position of the head of the sales department. We will return to this type of competencies a little later, and now we will take a closer look at the managerial competencies of the head of the sales department.

It is managerial competencies that come first for the head of the sales department and ensure its effectiveness. True, often the head of the sales department forgets that he is the head and his main task is to manage the department, and is too fond of personal sales. Moreover, for a better understanding of the essence management activities it makes sense for the head of the sales department to imagine the whole possible range of managerial competencies. The list of these competencies is quite large, therefore, not all of them should be placed in a real document, the so-called “competence portrait”, but only the most important ones for a specific position in a specific organization. This is done in order to make such a document a real working tool, since too large a list of competencies is both perceived and difficult to evaluate.

So, managerial competencies can be divided into five groups:

1) The competencies required to fulfill the role of a leader.

2) Competences that characterize a high level of intelligence.

3) Competencies necessary to improve the efficiency of work (own and subordinates).

4) Competencies that determine the manager's own development.

5) Competencies defining customer orientation.

Let's start with the competencies required to fulfill the role of a leader. These include:

1. Leadership, that is, the ability to achieve outstanding results through people.

2. Management as achieving outstanding results through effective management resources, systems and processes.

3. Development of employees (mentoring, mentoring).

Note that sometimes the concepts of "leadership" and "management" are perceived as synonymous. This is not entirely true. Thanks to leadership, the leader leads people, inspires them, ignites them with an idea. He may not pay much attention to how rationally the work of employees is organized, but he will not pass by despondency and loss of enthusiasm. On the other hand, managerial qualities allow the manager to manage work processes, ensuring their rationality, thoughtfulness, and coordination.

In one company, we saw a vivid example of leadership development in one head of sales and managerial development in another. The company had two sales departments divided by product principle. One department sold one product, another department sold another. The head of the first department often spontaneously gathered his managers and enthusiastically described to them the prospects for the company's work, showing them the exciting horizons of new victories. He also often held personal conversations, encouraged employees. True, he left the specific steps (what and how to do) to their discretion. He believed that the main thing is the desire to achieve results, and what and how to do is the second question. Managers often made mistakes and worked very erratically, but with enthusiasm, thanks to which they managed to fulfill the plan, although they often had to redo the work. The head of another department, on the contrary, gathered planning meetings strictly according to the schedule, gave clear tasks, provided the necessary resources to solve the tasks, controlled the execution, and helped with the solution of complex tasks. But he did not consider it necessary to say anything about the necessity of the work they were doing. He believed that this was already understandable, so why waste time on this. As a result, his subordinates worked quite smoothly, achieved good results, but did not strive for special achievements, they treated work as an inevitable necessity. It is obvious that both leaders had development reserves, one of managerial qualities, the other of leadership qualities.

Now consider the competencies that characterize the high level of intelligence of the manager.

This is, firstly, such a competence as "Analysis and problem solving" that is, reaching mutually acceptable solutions through identifying problems, reaching out to affected parties, developing multiple solutions, and resolving conflicts.

The second competence is "Goal Oriented" or focusing aspirations on achieving a goal, mission, or task.

The third competence "Making decisions", why it is important to choose the best sequence of actions based on the analysis of the situation.

And finally, the fourth competence - "Creativity or Innovation". This competence is characterized by the adaptation of traditional or the development of new approaches, concepts, methods, models, images, processes, technologies and systems.

Sales leaders often have to deal with problems that do not have a clear solution. It is in such cases that the competence of this group is required.

For example, the head of a department learns that his manager and an employee of the client are doing dubious transactions involving yet another, third company. And we are talking not only about kickbacks, but also about actions that, if they are made public, will damage the reputations of both companies, as well as affect the moral climate in the team. The leader must consider the situation from all sides and determine what options are generally possible and what consequences they can lead to. The simple dismissal of an unscrupulous manager will not solve the problem, since there is still an employee of the client whose actions were no better than the actions of the manager. And you can't just fire him. In addition, it is necessary to deal with a third company, recovering from it the damages incurred. The manager must understand that he has to solve several problems at once in this situation: not only to stop the fraud and compensate for the damage to his company, but also to prevent the possibility of their repetition in the future, and, most importantly, to preserve the reputation of both companies. Normal actions in such a situation are not suitable, so the leader will have to approach the issue creatively, find unconventional way resolving the situation.

Very important for a leader are the competencies necessary to improve work efficiency. These include competencies such as "Planning" and "Personal effectiveness".

Planning - System approach to activity, self-training and action in accordance with the developed plan.

This competency, according to our observations, is the most typical “growth point” for many sales managers. Many of them experience great difficulties not only in drawing up an objective and fact-based plan, but also with its subsequent implementation.

The head of the sales department of a large company grew up from salespeople and had more than 15 years of sales experience. He perfectly remembered the times when no one planned anything, but, nevertheless, sales grew at a tremendous rate. Then sales began to fall, and he, already the head of the sales department, was required by the company's management to draw up a plan and follow it. He resisted this as best he could: how can you plan something in our life, he said, because you don’t know what awaits you tomorrow. But the leadership insisted, and there was nowhere to go. I had to make plans. But he did this solely for show and forgot about the plan at the same moment when he handed it over to the leadership. Naturally, with such an attitude, he did not look into the plan until the moment when it was necessary to write a report, did not control its implementation among subordinates and did not take any actions to achieve it. Subordinates, seeing the attitude of the leader, treated planning accordingly and worked as they had to, and some just because of their mood: it went well - I will sell, but if it didn’t work out, it’s not worth it to strain, you have to wait.

The “Personal Effectiveness” competency combines the following characteristics:

Radiation of self-confidence

No less important for the activities of the leader is his own development. And here we can consider competencies that unite the manager's desire for his own development, namely: "Continuous learning" and "Flexibility".

The “continuous learning” competency is very important for a sales manager, but quite often we see the so-called “stopped self-development” in them. In other words, a person who has reached the level of a sales manager has already really achieved a lot in professionally and at some point he begins to believe that he already knows everything and can do everything. But life does not stand still. As is well known, knowledge modern world become obsolete very quickly. Even 10 - 15 years ago, knowledge became obsolete every five years. Those. a specialist, if he wanted to maintain his qualifications at a high level, had to undergo training at least every five years. Today, knowledge becomes obsolete every 2-3 years.

The insufficient level of development of the “continuous learning” competence is very clearly manifested in the process of various trainings, when participants, instead of perceiving new information and thinking about how it can be used in their work, declare: “but it’s not like that with us.” This closeness to new knowledge or just approaches leads to the fact that a specialist develops professional templates. And this, in turn, leads to inflexibility.

"Flexibility" as a managerial competence of the head of the sales department is especially important in the context of innovations in the company. If the leader is inflexible, it will be very difficult for him not only to understand the meaning of the changes, but also to choose adequate methods of behavior depending on the situation. Flexibility also implies the ability to quickly switch from one activity to another, to constantly keep all the diverse affairs of the department in focus, not to forget or lose sight of the details.

I would like to pay special attention to the last group of competencies - customer orientation. V this case the client is understood as both external clients of the company, and own employees who are internal clients. Competence "Customer Focus" is anticipation, meeting the needs, desires and expectations of the client.

However, customer orientation should not be confused with an obsequious attitude towards him and a desire to please in everything, which not only does not lead to partnership and cooperation, but can adversely affect the business as a whole.

The head of the sales department of a manufacturing and trading company understood customer orientation in a very peculiar way. After taking office, the first thing he did was to replace the standard contract with a client, which provided for an advance payment, with a contract with a deferred payment of 30 days. Naturally, customers were only happy about this. But if earlier, starting to discuss the contract, the bargaining process began with an advance payment, now the same bargaining began already from 30 days. As a result, the average delay in payment for the company increased from 15 days to 45. Of course, this was beneficial for customers, but the company suffered significant losses.

That is why an understanding of customer orientation should take into account that one's own company should not suffer significant losses as a result of this orientation. It is important to find common ground and mutually beneficial solutions, then cooperation will be stronger.

Actually, after this competence, we can say that for the head of the sales department, it can serve as a kind of "bridge" between managerial and special (specific) competencies.

To understand the latter, you need to be very clear about what, in addition to managerial, functions the head of the sales department will perform.

V general view The following competencies are required:

Knowledge of the basics of marketing (positioning, segmentation, assortment policy, pricing, distribution channels, sales promotion)

Ability to plan sales in general and for various reasons (in the context of customer groups, assortment groups, sales territories, payment terms);

Ability to prepare package offers for various groups of clients;

Ability to manage accounts receivable;

Ability to form an optimal and balanced warehouse;

Ability to organize and supervise activities for the development of the client base;

Ability to optimize the client base based on a new (or adjusted) marketing strategy;

The skill of forming the price and assortment policy of the company;

Skills in conducting contract work, paperwork;

Analytical skills (sales analysis, financial indicators and promotional activities; analysis of market conditions; analysis of the client base);

Skills for conducting actions to promote priority or "hanging" goods.

Negotiation and settlement skills conflict situations with clients;

Possession (at the level of an experienced user) with software, such as 1C, Infin, the Bank-Client system, Consultant-Plus, etc.

If the head of the sales department works with key customers, then his special competencies may also include the following competencies:

Knowledge of the company's product line.

Ability to present any product (service).

Ability to deal with customer objections.

Understanding competitive advantage products (services), companies, personnel.

Ability to maintain long-term relationships with clients.

Work with clients on overdue receivables.

Knowledge of the norms and rules of document flow in the company, storage of confidential information and others.

For example, consider the specific competencies of the head of the sales department of one of the companies.

"Portrait of competencies" (excluding corporate and managerial).

The head of the sales department must have practical experience (at least 3 years) in the following areas:

1. Work with the company's clients:

search and development of potential clients in the main areas of the Company's activities;

business correspondence;

preparation and holding of business meetings;

maintaining contact with clients after completion of work.

2. Working with documents:

preparation of documentation and submission of applications for participation in tenders;

execution of agreements and preparation of contracts;

work with accounts;

work with confidential information, its registration, accounting and storage;

management of sales records;

analytical work with archival documents (successful, failed contracts, reasons for failures, etc.).

3. Organization of work to fulfill customer orders:

organization of the implementation of the entire complex of works on the projects available in production;

dispatching the movement of goods and maintaining a database of customers;

selection of complex co-executors of the project and organization of interaction with them;

procurement management.

If your organization has implemented (or is implementing) a quality system, the head of the sales department should have the following specific competencies:

The skill of describing the sales business process;

Know the requirements of the quality standard (for example, ISO);

Have experience implementing CRM or other sales management systems.

The sales manager may need to know the basics of marketing, marketing research, knowledge of regional sales markets, lobbying skills, experience in building sales networks, experience in opening representative offices, branches and warehouses, and much more.

Once again, we draw attention to the fact that it is no coincidence that these competencies are called special or even specific: they directly reflect the specifics of the business and the requirements of a particular company for the same position. As we have already said, these competencies are included in the concept of "Professionalism".

What opportunities open up for us with a clear understanding of the competencies of the head of the sales department?

Firstly, it will allow the head of the organization, the commercial unit or the HR department to evaluate candidates for this position according to uniform criteria.

Secondly, it will create an understanding of the “effective employee”, will help determine the criteria for the successful completion of work. For the employee himself, this will be help in identifying his strengths and weaknesses, identifying the main needs for development and training.

Thirdly, we will be able to make an objective decision regarding the promotion of employees, their development within the company.

Are there situations when you can work calmly without building competency models? Yes. In the case when the company is at the very beginning of its development, sometimes it is formed according to the "friendly-family" principle, when there is no clear division by position and all employees are almost completely interchangeable. At this stage of the formation of the organization, it is too early to talk about competencies as some kind of managerial tool. However, by analyzing the best employee experience, effective techniques work, already at this organizational stage it is necessary to talk about the foundation for describing corporate competencies, and over time, both managerial and special ones.

Now let's dwell on the question: "How can we assess the presence of certain competencies?". The assessment methods here can be: interviews, professional testing, ranking, 360-degree assessment and, as the most comprehensive method, the assessment center (Assessment Center). However, if we are talking about the simplicity of the assessment, its acceptability, profitability and at the same time the correctness of its results, then we can talk about the following methods.

The most cost-effective tool in the situation of selecting candidates for a position, as experience shows, is a behavioral interview. It approaches the center of evaluation in terms of correctness, while requiring one to two hours instead of one to two days, it is easier to conduct, it is less expensive and acceptable to sales managers with a different set of required competencies. As part of such an interview, you ask questions and ask to describe the behavior of the applicant in a particular situation that would correspond to the competence you are interested in.

For example, we are interested in the “Customer Orientation” competency. We can ask the candidate questions like: "Tell us about your relationship with clients." “Describe your behavior in a situation where a client had a big accounts receivable". "How did you act in a situation where a client contacted you with a complaint about the behavior of your subordinates."

In a situation of evaluation or certification (for example, to nominate candidates for the reserve to fill the position of the head of the sales department) in a company, the most optimal method would be either a simple ranking of employees by competencies, or a 360-degree assessment. This will be an assessment of a company employee based on data on his actions in real work situations and on his business qualities. It is carried out according to the apparent behavior of a person. Competences of the employee, his professional, personal qualities are evaluated. The information will be presented in the form of a rating ranked by various indicators (competencies). In the case of a 360-degree assessment, data is obtained by questioning the employee himself, his immediate supervisor, colleagues, and in some cases, the clients of the person being assessed.

Consider the example of evaluating several employees applying for the position of head of sales. During the assessment, it was managerial competencies that were important, since each of the employees proved himself good seller. For each of the managerial competencies, they scored the following average scores*:

*Rating scale from 1 to 5, where:

1 - the best indicator, competence is developed

5 - worst indicator - competence is not developed

360 degree average scores.

Competence	Employees
				Maksimov
Leadership
Management
Analysis and problem solving
Goal orientation
Making decisions
Creativity / innovation
Planning / organizing
Personal efficiency
Lifelong learning
Flexibility
Customer service

From the table, it can be seen that there are two applicants for the position of head of the sales department - Ivanov and Petrov. For the final choice, you need to determine the priority of each competency for this position in this particular company. If the organization is hierarchical, with prescribed regulations, then Petrov can be the most effective. If the company is innovative, striving for development, with democratic relations, then Ivanov will be a more interesting candidate for the position of head of the sales department.

So, we have considered the options for corporate, managerial and special competencies of the head of the sales department. We touched on the issue of methods for assessing competencies in different situations. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that it makes sense for each company to develop its own unique (albeit based on general knowledge and approaches) model of sales manager competencies. This approach will allow to “sharpen” this tool for the specific needs of the company and make it really work.

Annex 1.

Application (inset)

Description of managerial competencies of the head of sales department

Able to manage others to achieve results
	Leadership	Achieving outstanding results through people. Inspiring others with your views Taking risks for the sake of principles, values ​​or goals Building trust through demonstrating the correspondence between words and deeds Demonstrating optimism and positive expectations from others Involving people in decisions that affect them Accurate, honest and meaningful work with questions related to employee evaluation Adapting methods and approaches to the needs and motivations of others Making decisions to avoid or minimize negative consequences for people Demonstration of loyalty to subordinates
	Management	Achieve outstanding results through effective management of resources, systems and processes. Taking risks in order to achieve goals, results and tasks Setting high development standards Keeping people in line and focusing on priority goals and objectives Identifying barriers to achieving goals and overcoming them Clear statement of tasks Delegation of appropriate responsibility and authority Ensuring that the available resources are sufficient to achieve the goals Monitoring the implementation of goals and objectives Making decisions that produce a bottom line or revenue
	Employee development / mentoring	Helping and supporting the professional growth of others Expressing confidence in the success of others Determining the development needs of each employee Support for initiative and improvement in work Providing Learning Opportunities Providing opportunities to work on a new, difficult or ambitious challenge Recognition and support for success Teaching, mentoring and mentoring for the development of others Treating error as a learning opportunity Sincere desire to support, develop others and provide professional assistance An open desire to share your knowledge and successful experience
Has a high level of intelligence, is able to determine the right direction
	Analysis and problem solving	Achieve mutually acceptable solutions through identifying problems, reaching out to affected parties, developing multiple solutions, and resolving conflicts. Listening and discussing options with clients, employees, colleagues to resolve problems Clearly identifying problems and constraints and initiating an open, objective discussion Obtaining explanatory information to develop justified decisions or recommendations for action Identification and comparison of alternatives, assessment of benefits and risks, anticipation of the consequences of decisions Looking for non-verbal indicators of unresolved conflicts or problems Anticipating potential problems or crises and taking the necessary actions to avoid such situations Identification of sources of conflict and search for solutions that satisfy the interests of all parties Understanding and applying a variety of conflict resolution techniques Separating yourself from the problem for objectivity and satisfying solutions
	Goal orientation	Focusing aspirations on achieving a goal, mission or task. No need for guidance when reaching the goal Compliance with established deadlines to achieve the goal Identification of opportunities for faster / more efficient achievement of the goal Setting ambitious goals and striving to achieve them Development and implementation of optimal strategies to achieve goals Performance measurement and performance evaluation to understand the degree of achievement of the result Understanding urgency in pursuit of a goal Demonstration of perseverance in overcoming difficulties in achieving the goal Taking calculated risks to achieve results
	Making decisions	Choosing the best sequence of actions based on the analysis of the situation. Making impartial decisions based on facts and laws Assumption of quantifying decisions, actions and results Understanding the impact of decisions on the organization and their consequences Explanation of rational reasons for making decisions Demonstration of consistency in decision making Involving others in the decision-making process to get different opinions and experience Making timely decisions in difficult stressful conditions
	Creativity / innovation	Adaptation of traditional or development of new approaches, concepts, methods, models, images, processes, technologies and / or systems. Identification of unique patterns, processes, systems or relationships The presence of non-traditional views, the use of new approaches Simplify data, ideas, models, processes or systems Challenging established theories, methods and procedures Support and promotion of creativity/innovation Changing existing concepts, methods, models, schemes, processes, technologies and systems Development and application of new theories to explain and resolve complex situations Application of unaccepted theories and/or methods Development of new revolutionary concepts, methods, models, schemes, processes, technologies, systems, products, services, industries.
Takes action to improve its performance
	Planning / organizing	A systematic approach to activity is independent preparation and action in accordance with the developed plan. Development of competitive and realistic plans based on strategic goals Acting with future needs in mind and taking advantage of opportunities Prepare for the contingency Assessing the resources needed and the ability to ensure they are available at the right time Balance between daily needs and planned activities Tracking plans and adjusting them as needed Organization of a logical and clear order, actions performed flawlessly Efficient use of time
	Personal efficiency	Demonstration of initiative, self-confidence, self-affirmation and willingness to take responsibility for their actions. Possession of decisive confidence and belief in one's own abilities Showing initiative and taking all possible actions to achieve the goal Radiation of self-confidence Return to errors for analysis and correction Recognizing mistakes and working to prevent them Taking personal responsibility for achieving personal and professional goals Effective actions and achievement of goals even in difficult conditions
Committed to own development
	Lifelong learning	Initiative in learning, application of new concepts, technologies and/or methods. Enthusiasm and interest in learning Initiative in acquiring and developing the skills and knowledge required for the position of head of sales Mastering all new information through reading and other learning methods Active interest in new technologies, processes and methods Acceptance or search for new vacancies requiring new knowledge or skills Putting in a lot of effort/incurring the cost of training Genuine pleasure in learning Determination of places of practical application of knowledge The image of the "source of knowledge" among others
	Flexibility	Agility to adapt to change. Quick response to changes in directions, priorities, schedules. Demonstration of rapid adoption of new ideas, approaches and/or methods Efficiency in switching between multiple priorities and tasks Changing methods or strategy to best suit changing circumstances Adapting your work style to different people Maintain productivity during the transition period, even in chaos Acceptance and/or maintenance of the change.
Focused on the consumer
	Customer service	Foresight, satisfaction (with a margin) of the needs, desires and expectations of the client. Committed to anticipating, identifying and understanding the desires, needs and beliefs of the client Understanding customer response priority Tracking customer requests Tolerance and courtesy in working with the client Resolving problems and complaints to customer satisfaction Work with the highest return for customer satisfaction Building relationships with clients Building partnerships with the client to achieve their goals Actions to protect the needs of the client Taking professional risks in order to meet the needs of the client

More detailed characteristics for each of the competencies are presented in the Appendix.

mentoring is a model of professional relations that involves a partnership between an experienced and a young teacher, in the process of adapting to new conditions. The model is based on a constructivist approach to the process of cognition, which is understood as a process of constant analysis of the personal experience of a specialist and adaptation of a specialist to a constantly changing reality, which is an integral and necessary part of professional self-improvement.