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ODOT LEADER COMPETENCIES
AUGUST 2020
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STATEMENT OF LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES: Our leaders put our values
into action as we serve, inspire, develop and empower our most
valuable resource — our people.
We are one ODOT!
LEADERSHIPThe ability to influence toward positive outcomes. We
believe people can lead from anywhere in the organization and want
to identify and reinforce the behaviors and skills we are looking
for in our agency’s leaders.
LEADERSomeone who uses social influence to maximize the efforts
of others towards the achievement of goals. We use this term to
describe people who have been given leadership roles in the agency
(e.g., supervisors, lead workers, senior-level staff, program and
project leaders, and etc.).
MANAGERManagers oversee organizational units and programs. They
direct the progress of the agency by designing and maintaining its
systems of production. Management is different from
supervision.
SUPERVISORA formal term used to describe agency personnel
managers who manage and are accountable for employee performance.
Supervision is the direct daily interaction with subordinate
positions to give work direction or assignments. We use this term
to apply to individuals at all levels that are responsible for
managing others in the organization.
Disclaimer: While ODOT supports and encourages the philosophy of
“leadership from any chair,” there are some expectations that are
specific to those in supervisory positions. Those expectations are
noted with an asterisk (*).
STAT
EMEN
T OF L
EADE
RSHI
P PRIN
CIPLE
S:
II
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Disclaimer: While ODOT supports and encourages the philosophy of
“leadership from any chair,” there are some expectations that are
specific to those in supervisory positions. Those expectations are
noted with an asterisk (*).
Intentional Engagement 2
Communication 4
Mentoring & Developing People Innovation 6
Innovation 8
Stewardship 10
Business Acumen 12
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INTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENTThe ability to consider and appreciate
multiple perspectives, backgrounds, and values, integrating them
throughout the organization, creating opportunities to effectively
achieve organizational goals.
EXPECTATIONS• Integrates core values, integrity and
accountability throughout all
organizational and business practices.• Speaks openly and treats
others with dignity and respect, shows
consistency between words and actions.• Courageously takes the
ethical path to resolve important issues regardless
of the possible consequences, admits when wrong, owns decisions
and learns from mistakes.
• Values and seeks a full spectrum of diversity and other
individual differences in the workforce.
• Applies careful consideration of one’s own assumptions,
beliefs, emotions, and behaviors when interacting with others to
gain productive insight, keep a fresh perspective and continuously
learn.
• Fosters collaboration and teamwork to align the energy of the
team/organization toward achieving goals and outcomes.
WHAT’S IT MEAN?• To recognize the individual value of each
employee and seeking a
workforce that reflects Oregon’s diversity.• To go beyond what
is expected of you.• To intentionally and respectfully engage with
others, whether you agree
with their outlook or not, and keep an open mind.
Training Opportunities
Emotional Intelligence: Self-Awareness, Managing Change at ODOT,
Effective Coaching, ODOT Leaders Forum, Leveraging Feedback
INTE
NTIO
NAL E
NGAG
EMEN
T
2
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“I have a responsibility in my role at TDD
(now Policy, Data, and Analysis Division) to take time and really
listen to staff, ask thoughtful questions, and learn about their
life experiences, opinions, and vision, to ensure they feel valued
and respected.”
“My goal will be to speak openly and treat others with dignity
and respect. I need to continue to show consistency between my
words and actions on the job.”
“In my role, I need to consistently follow an ethical path to
resolve important issues regardless of the possible
consequences.”
“Due to the diversity of our various business lines and
personnel, I need to apply careful consideration of my own
assumptions, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors when interacting with
others.”
“This is the core to engaging a lot of customers and
stakeholders, internal and external. The ability to consider and
appreciate multiple perspectives, backgrounds and values along with
responsibilities and sometimes conflict.”
“People need to feel confident that their roles are secure, that
management is sharing information as they get it, and that they
will get input from employees when they can so that we are all
contributing and have a stake in what we are trying to accomplish
here as One ODOT.”
“We can move mountains with professional respect and trust.”
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Employee engagement is proactively and passionately adding value
while aligning with the agency’s mission and operational goals.
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COMMUNICATIONThe ability to effectively articulate and exchange
information with internal and external stakeholders.
EXPECTATIONS• Encourages open expression of ideas and opinions,
listens with cultural
humility and confirms understanding of feedback, suggestions and
sets direction with thoughtful attention.
• Recognizes and addresses issues in a courageous manner and is
willing to ask the difficult questions and have difficult
conversations when needed.
• Articulates clear thoughts and ideas in multiple settings and
audiences.• Outlines agency’s vision; connects people to the “big
picture.”• Fosters trust in the workplace through direct,
respectful and transparent
interactions with internal and external stakeholders.• Maintains
confidentiality as dictated by the situation.• Adapts to culturally
preferred communication styles.• Is skilled at listening with
empathy.
WHAT’S IT MEAN?Cultural Humility: The ability to recognize that
cultures and perspectives that differ from our own are just as
valid and important.
Listening with Empathy: The ability to listen while sensing
another person’s emotional state and imagining how they may be
feeling.
Communication is about transparency and authenticity.
Training Opportunities
Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, Leveraging
Feedback, Communication Skills for the Analytical Mind, Managing
Change at ODOT, Effective Coaching
COMM
UNIC
ATIO
N
4
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“Thinking globally and seeing many sides
to a situation for better understanding leads to better
communication and teamwork. It can be challenging to take
individuals with differing backgrounds and agendas to form a team
and collaborate to achieve a goal. This is essential to the team
and agency success.”
“Communication is such a critical competency with so much change
happening.”
“Proficiency in this competency means that people, at all levels
of the organization, understand the direction and priorities of the
agency.”
“Communication is the most important attribute to me. I believe
that everything starts with open communication. I believe that
knowledge is power when given out to all to process.”
“Being able to communicate with multiple disciplines is critical
for business success.”
“In the 27 years I have been with ODOT I have seen great strides
in leader competencies. The one area that we need to always be
aware of and keep in the forefront is assuring that we communicate
effectively with everyone we deal with, whether it is our
superiors, peers, crew members or our customers.”
“Communication really resonates with me. I believe it is
fundamental to any of the other competencies success. Good
communication pays off in whatever area or project you may be
involved with.”
“One of the largest leadership principles that impact safety is
communication.”
“Communicating effectively and translating that communication
into action have allowed me and the teams I’ve worked with resolve
sometimes seemingly intractable issues.”
“Good communication is important for any organization to grow
and is one of the items that constantly comes up as needing
improvement when asked to employees.”
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Encourage the expression of ideas and opinions.
Listen with cultural humility, confirm understanding of
feedback, and set direction with thoughtful attention.
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MENTORING & DEVELOPING PEOPLEThe ability to actively engage
employees at all levels of the organization, recognize their
potential and support their future career growth.
EXPECTATION• Models enterprise and agency competencies; supports
and coaches others
to consistently practice them.• Holds self and others to high
standars of honesty, transparency and
integrity.• Sets expectations; provides continuous, candid and
timely feedback.• Gives appropriate recognition to the successes
and accomplishments of
others.• Advocates for the development of mentees, connecting
them to training
and professional opportunities.• Promotes life-work balance.•
Ensures equity in employee training and development
opportunities.*
WHAT’S IT MEAN?To ensure that all employees have equitable
access to professional growth opportunities, including training,
mentoring, coaching, rotational or developmental opportunities. Be
fair, and don’t play favorites.
To remove barriers to professional growth opportunities.
Examples include adjusting work schedules, arranging backup
coverage, developing career path plans, providing or arranging
mentoring, etc.
Training Opportunities
Effective Coaching, Leveraging Feedback, Emotional Intelligence:
Self-Awareness, ODOT Leaders Forum, Crucial Conversations &
Crucial Accountability
MENT
ORIN
G &
DEVE
LOPI
NG PE
OPLE
6
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“As a leader, one of the most important
things I can do is seek and recognize opportunities and techniques
to develop the people in my charge so that they grow, meet and
overcome challenges, develop critical thinking and innovative
solutions to problems. Empowering them as they grow, helps them to
feel their job is both challenging and rewarding.”
“I have a particular affinity to the concepts of holding self
and others to high standards of honesty, transparency and
integrity, setting expectations, recognizing success, and providing
continuous feedback.”
“There is a dependent interrelationship between all the
competencies, and excellence in this one requires competency
exercising the other principles.”
“I believe that developing our people is one of the most
important things we can do as leaders in the organization.”
“As a manager with years of experience, it is important to
mentor others so they can learn from my experiences.”
“This competency develops trust that supervisors are invested in
their future. Promotes loyalty, gives opportunities for
growth.”
“Because of the unprecedented amount of work, stress, and change
it highlights for me the need for empathy for my fellow employees
and managers and the importance of life outside of work. Staff and
managers need to recognize their stress levels and be allowed to
take time off (without their work cell phones and computers) to
relax, destress, and not burnout.”
“Recognize excellence and establish a culture that is open and
encourages all employees to be leaders.”
“Everyone needs a mentor and should be a mentor. Mentoring and
developing others is about encouraging growth in individuals based
on their personal skills and capabilities. Helping them to see what
they already possess and capitalizing on that.”
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Set clear expectations and support employee knowledge, growth,
and advancement.
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INNOVATIONThe ability to ensure a process that allows ideas to
be evaluated, adopted and implemented when appropriate.
EXPECTATIONS• Fosters a learning organization and environment
that encourages
curiosity, collaboration, creative thinking, inclusion and open
dialogue that empowers employeses to generate new ideas.
• Encourages staff to be open to develop new insights into
situations and apply creative solutions.
• Brings about balanced strategic change both within and outside
the organization.
• Recognizes and acts on trends, changing conditions and the
implications for the business.
• Possesses an enterprise-wide outlook and engages in
conversation to broaden perspectives.
• Recognizes that solutions can be generated from any level and
shares responsibility across the organization.
• Navigates the organization through complex and changing
environments while attending to the human side of change.
WHAT’S IT MEAN?To encourage others to look for opportunities to
submit suggestions to improve the organization.
To recognize the stressful impacts change can have on employees.
To take steps to support employees and provide stability and
leadership during periods of significant change.
To provide employees with an avenue for communicating their
needs during change.
Training Opportunities
Managing Change at ODOT, Mindsets to Performance, ODOT Change
Framework
INNO
VATIO
N
8
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“I believe that Innovation is closely
linked with Mentoring & Developing People. Coupled with
Communication and Intentional Engagement, Innovation acts as a
lynchpin to practice many of the competencies valued by the agency.
It is an act of embracing change (which is constant) and encourages
momentum to improve both our business and the environment in which
we make our daily contribution.”
“This is about creating a culture that celebrates mistakes,
failures, and vulnerability. Innovation cannot exist without
vulnerability and the ability to make mistakes.”
“I believe that innovation and learning new things keep a person
current with their skills and makes for a more engaged
workforce.”
“Encouraging curiosity, collaboration and creative thinking
allows new ideas to form which previously might not have been
thought of. It is important to actively seek out solutions from
every level of the organization and expect all levels will share
this responsibility.”
“Innovation is critical in an era of severe lack of resources to
maintain and preserve ODOT’s valuable existing infrastructure,
adopting new ways to do more with less is essential.”
“One of the biggest challenges we face as an agency is
maintaining agility and flexibility in a landscape that’s changing
rapidly (public/partner values, available technologies, political
environments, etc.). Our ability to solve new and emerging problems
in the midst of this change will require us to develop innovative
solutions.”
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Recognizes areas in need of change and proactively starts
conversations with employees to lead them to look for new
solutions.
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STEWARDSHIPThe ability to responsibly manage resources and
actively promote a culture in which those resources are effectively
utilized.
EXPECTATIONS• Manages resources in alignment with mission and
vision of the agency
and state.• Optimizes resources across organizational boundaries
to meet enterprise
needs.• Takes prudent risks.• Encourages originality and
flexibility within the limitations set (budget,
resources). • Fosters a strong safety culture.• Understands the
workings, structure and culture of the Agency.• Understands the
relevant political, social, economic issues.• Demonstrates personal
accountability, holds others accountable, and
develops accountability as a trait in others.
WHAT’S IT MEAN?To be a reliable, honest and accountable
person.
To expect the same from others and to build trust on their
ability to carry-out their work while maintaining a respectful
demeanor and workplace.
To be confident that employees can be productive, respectful and
supportive representatives of ODOT while maintaining our personal
integrity.
To foster a strong safety culture, which includes psychological
and emotional safety.
Training Opportunities
Managing Change at ODOT, Emotional Intelligence:
Self-Awareness
STEW
ARDS
HIP
10
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“To me, stewardship is about reaching
across divisions/branches/work units to get work done using all
available resources.”
“If we are to truly embrace the One ODOT mantra, we need to have
open, honest, and transparent conversations about the state/health
of all of our disciplines, the real needs around the state, and
manage resources accordingly. It is the only way we can with a
straight face tell the public we are using their money wisely and
can do our jobs in the most fiscally responsible and efficient
manner.”
“Stewardship…This seems to be the core of what we do on a day to
basis; the nuts and bolts of managing the system.”
“This competency is closely aligned with the audit role and
highlights the importance of accountability.”
“With tight budgets, we need to better utilize the resources
that we have. We need to think out of the box and encourage crews
into thought processes that achieve this in a safe and economical
manner.”
“Stewardship – This is a core competency to Maintenance where we
take pride in our knowledge of the Highway system and the
partnerships that it takes to work creatively with the local
agencies; along with the high safety standard in doing that
work.”
“A lot of the issues that I have seen over the years are caused
or are symptoms of staff, managers, contractors, and consultants
not being held accountable to do the right thing.”
“Everything we do or promote has a safety component to it.
Whether it be a safe place to work, a safe work environment – free
from harassment by co-workers or the public, a safe work zone, a
safe highway during sun and storms, and a safe atmosphere to
express differing and diverging ideas. This should not be new,
rather it must be constantly reinforced.”
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Being courageous and empowered to speak out if you feel the
organizational direction is flawed and may result in failure at
some level.
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BUSINESS ACUMENThe ability to manage human, financial,
procurement, assets and information resources effectively to meet
the mission of the agency and state.
EXPECTATIONS• Ensures quality customer service.• Effectively
communicates across functional areas.• Knows when to engage and
partner with experts regarding HR, IT,
procurement, accounting, budgeting, and legislative processes.•
Possesses technical knowledge of the manager’s operational area.*•
Effectively selects, recruits, and on-boards a diverse and
culturally
competent workforce.*• Understands relevant federal regulations,
state statutes, policies and rules.• Possesses and utilizes
strategic thinking in planning and decision-making.• Provides
performance evaluation and management.*• Analyzes problems and
develops effective, viable, data-informed solutions.•
Understands/Builds trusting, collaborative connections and
networks.• Engages in effective succession planning with an eye to
the future of the
organization.• Demonstrates a commitment to their own
professional development.
WHAT’S IT MEAN?We use the totality of our skills and our
understanding of the organization to deliberately deliver sound and
well-reasoned business practices and solutions for our customers
and stakeholders.
Training Opportunities
ODOT Management Core Curriculum, ODOT Change Framework, DAS
Management Series
BUSI
NESS
ACUM
EN
12
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“Often, we promote great technician into
management roles without a lot of support on how to be an effective
leader of people and the work. Because of that, I think we miss the
opportunity to broaden the perspective of the new leader. To help a
leader understand the dynamics of doing business in general (my
sense of business acumen) then we help them to be more
successful.”
“Understanding your internal and external stakeholder needs and
working toward a solution is an essential part of business
acumen.”
“I see a gap in this competency among ODOT management. I think
much can be done to improve the way performance is evaluated and
managed at ODOT.”
Often, we promote great technicians into management roles
without a lot of support on how to be an effective leader of people
and the work. Because of that, I think we miss the opportunity to
broaden the perspective of the new leader.
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CONTACTJohn Whitfield ODOT HR Workforce Solutions Manager
[email protected] 503-373-1639
CONT
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