Our first Learning Event of the year was an intimate gathering featuring James Heideman, Ph.D., who engaged ATD Orange County members in a thought-provoking conversation about identifying and applying competencies in the workplace. He also shared insights into his process for writing a book.

Local author James Heideman, Ph.D., talks with Doaa Saleh, CPTD, as other ATD Orange County members network at the CraneMorley headquarters.

This is the second time CraneMorley has hosted an ATD Orange County event in their corporate headquarters in Irvine. Last year, the CraneMorley team had shared their work incorporating XR into Learning and Development interventions. This year, they introduced local author James Heideman, Ph.D. to the community as he shared his vision of adopting forward-looking competencies for exceptional performance, no matter what job role we assume throughout our career.

The Key Analogy

Dr. Heideman explained the idea of applying competencies with an analogy: riding a bicycle. 

“What,” he asked us, “are you focusing on when you are riding a stationary bike?” 

“Heart rate,” one suggested, and others took up the thread. “Distance. Calories.”

“These are all internal measures of your performance,” Jim agreed. “Now let’s say you’re riding a real bicycle. What are you focusing on then?”

There was general agreement that the focus had shifted. Even if we were riding the real bicycle as a form of exercise, while on the bike we were more likely to focus on the path we were taking. Obstacles in that path. Traffic.

This was analogous to the shift between job abilities and competencies.

When we focus on our abilities, we focus on performing the task and using our skills to complete the task. We rely on internal measures to identify if the task has been completed. However: we perform our jobs within a larger organization teeming with a wide range of external factors which influence what we do, and which are influenced by us. If we cannot read situations and then take practical, rational, and logical action in response to those situations, we cannot excel in meeting the organizational goals associated with that task.

Competencies are not new concepts in the business world. They've been studied for quite some time, and Dr. Heideman addressed some of the business leaders who had identified as many as 21 competencies that would support professional success. What differentiates Dr. Heideman's book is its focus on the instructional design profession, and the personal stories that exemplify how the competency can be applied.

Which led to a key point of discussion in the second half of the program: on writing a book. We can find a myriad of books in the library — the ATD Catalog has nearly 350 books on talent development alone — but none of those books will have the perspective and experiences that we bring to the field.  If you have something you would like to share, Jim tells us, you might as well get started now. 

Dr. Heideman used just five slides to outline his key concepts before opening the floor for Q&A.

Applying Competencies Ourselves

We decided to get started applying the competencies by the conclusion of the meeting.

One of the competencies that Dr. Heideman stressed was quite important: Self-Assessment.  He gave the example of conducting, after every project, an after action assessment to determine how well his actions had met organizational goals.  

In that spirit, we performed a bit of an after-action assessment ourselves.

• Add agenda details, highlighting focus on community
  We recognized that we did not include the event agenda in its description.  We want the community to know that networking and community socialization is a planned part of each of our Learning Events going forward.
  
  
• Include the full address, including suite numbers
  We neglected to include the Suite number in the venue address, causing the dedicated few to slowly drive through the parking lot looking for a likely place to meet. We’re sincerely hoping that everyone who had arrived at the location was able to find us, and didn’t give up and return home.
  
  
• Adjust event start times based upon attendee preferences
  Long ago, we had begun our evening Learning Events at 6:00 PM. We recently shifted to meet at 5:30 PM with the intent of getting folks home earlier. But we recognize that traffic can be daunting in the evenings, and dissuade folks from attending if they realize they’re going to be late.  So: 6:00 PM it is. We’ll start with the networking activity, so even if you’re stuck in traffic, you’ll have that much more time to make the presentation portion of the event.