FCCS News & Insights

Future-Proof with Competency-Based Talent Management

Continued success in a dynamic market will rely on ensuring that your employees have the critical attributes your organization needs to face the future. A custom Competency Model that guides individual professional development and hiring is a solid step towards pointing your talent forward.

A Competency Model defines the skills and behaviors you believe your organization will need for future success at the individual role level. It provides a clear framework for employees to understand what is necessary to succeed in the organization. The Model can include every role in the organization or be limited to certain groups, such as individual contributors or managers.

“A Competency Model is a strategic approach to talent management, designed to support the organization’s long-term business strategy by providing employees with clear guidelines for the desired skills, behaviors and attributes,” says Jean Cantey Segal, Chief Learning Officer for FCCS. “Each organization will define these differently based on their culture, goals and strategy.”

In 2024, FCCS undertook a multi-step process to develop an organization-wide Competency Model that encompasses every position at every level in the organization. The Model incorporates 21 competencies, identified based on employee and leadership focus groups as well as industry research into future competencies. The competencies were then aligned under the four domains of StrengthsFinders, with which FCCS staff are familiar. Within each competency, the Model identifies the specific desired skills, attributes and behaviors to support FCCS’ strategy, with further definition for individual contributors, managers and senior leaders.

“Every one of our competencies has been made relevant to every level of the organization so we’re all striving in the same direction,” says Jean. “For example, individual contributors can display visionary leadership by being open to new ideas and observing and sharing insights on emerging trends.”

The primary benefit of the Competency Model is guiding career development discussions and setting professional development goals that align with the competencies defined in the Model, which in turn support the organization’s strategic direction. The structure of the model and professional goals informs and supports performance discussions. A Competency Model also supports succession planning by making clear the skills, attributes and behaviors expected of the next level of career progression.

“When you understand the skills and behaviors needed for success, managers can have better conversations about strengths and areas for growth, tied to clearly defined expectations,” says Jessica Ricciardi, FCCS Vice President of Human Resources. “We’re now working to identify training programs and vendors who deliver programs to support each of our 21 competencies, so our employees have somewhere to turn to develop the skills they’re targeting.”

FCCS also anticipates revisiting and revising its Competency Model in the coming years to ensure that the Model continues to align with and support its long-term vision and strategy.

For more information about Competency Models, or to engage with FCCS for support in developing your own, contact Jean Cantey Segal, Chief Learning Officer, at 303.721.3278 or via email.