Serving as a key influencer within the organization by leveraging acquired skills, knowledge and abilities to position both HR and the institution at large for future success.

• Proactively seeking to improve HR products, processes or services
• Taking calculated risks to accomplish HR and institutional objectives
• Working with institutional leadership to develop and guide organizational objectives
• Demonstrating the strategic value of HR
• Understanding and communicating markers of success
• Analyzing metrics to make informed decisions
• Asking strategic questions
• Proposing strategies and solutions
• Building cross-departmental professional relationships

• What experience do you have with leading or implementing professional projects?
• How comfortable are you with professional risk?
• On what information do you prefer to base your decisions?
• What are your personal goals and objectives, and how do you plan to reach them?
• What is your institution’s mission statement?
• What are your institution’s values?
• How can you support (or how are you supporting) your institution’s mission, values and goals?
• How comfortable are you collaborating with others outside of your department?
• What experience do you have (or opportunities can you think of) with projects outside of HR?

• Strategic Planning Toolkit
• HR Data and Metrics Toolkit
• Future of Work in Higher Education Resources
• Opening Doors for Strategic Partnerships With Academic Leadership

The ability to understand and translate evolving business contexts, expectations and requirements into actions that create a unique value proposition and support the institution’s overall success.

• Brainstorming and proposing new ideas and strategies
• Consulting with other departments
• Facilitating implementation of new ideas and strategies
• Innovating effective solutions to problems
• Taking initiative on tasks, projects or problems

• Are you aware of your institution’s current business goals and limitations?
• How does your work support these goals?
• Are you confident in your ability to anticipate and plan for future challenges or trends?
• When have you or how could you take initiative on a task or project?
• Have you ever identified potential process improvements?
• Have you ever proposed process improvements?
• Have you ever facilitated the implementation of another person’s ideas?
• Have you ever led implementation of your own proposals or ideas?

• CUPA-HR Research Publications
• Developing Leadership Competencies in Higher Ed Essentials video
• Future of Work in Higher Education Resources
• Strategic Planning Toolkit

The ongoing effort of identifying, setting and achieving goals or objectives.

• Anticipating and adapting to change
• Asking questions to better understand concepts and processes
• Collaborating with other employees, teams and departments to improve processes
• Participating in non-mandatory training and educational opportunities
• Creating and following an individual development plan

• How comfortable are you giving and receiving constructive feedback?
• What plans, strategies or tools do you employ for your own professional development?
• How do you react to your own failures or mistakes?
• Are you comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas?

• 10 Tools That Should Be in Every Facilitator’s Toolbox Essentials video
• Creating Your Individual Development Plan e-learning course
• Developing Leadership Competencies in Higher Ed Essentials video
• Early-Career Professionals Toolkit
• Goal and Action Setting: Professional Development Worksheet

The process of identifying and communicating the necessary steps, skills and resources required to achieve a desired outcome.

• Defining desired goals, outcomes and objectives for a project
• Communicating expectations and desired outcomes to stakeholders
• Identifying and securing resources necessary for a project or process
• Identifying and tracking project milestones
• Collaborating across departments to achieve set goals
• Anticipating changes and challenges to a project plan and suggesting alternative actions when necessary

• What experience do you have with designing and implementing project plans?
• What factors do you take into account during the initial planning steps?
• Are you comfortable with your ability to communicate goals, progress and feedback to project team members and stakeholders?
• What methods or strategies do you use to ensure engagement and buy-in for projects?
• What closing steps do you employ at the completion of a project?

• Project Management Toolkit
• Strategic Planning Toolkit

The ability to analyze and evaluate an issue in order to form a reasonable solution or judgement.

• Asking questions to better understand concepts and processes
• Keeping an open mind when assessing situations or problems
• Considering alternative or unconventional approaches and solutions
• Adjusting plans accordingly when new information becomes available

• What questions do you typically ask when faced with a problem?
• How do you prefer to go about gathering information?
• Are you confident in your ability to articulate your ideas to others?
• Are you comfortable analyzing data and objective information to make recommendations?
• Do you feel like you are able to adapt quickly to new information or changes?

• Developing Leadership Competencies in Higher Ed Essentials video
• Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation Worksheet

The ability to spark change by empowering and inspiring others to act.

• Building trust and rapport with teammates, supervisors and other leaders
• Encouraging others by providing the example
• Participating in cross-departmental activities
• Taking initiative in problem-solving and process improvement activities

• What methods or strategies do you use to motivate others?
• What experience do you have collaborating with other individuals and departments?
• How do you or how might you convince hesitant stakeholders to adopt or embrace an idea or process?
• What experience do you have in leadership roles?
• Do you feel that you have built strong relationships with others, both inside and outside of your own team or department?

• Developing Leadership Competencies in Higher Ed Essentials video
• Future of Work in Higher Education Resources
• Mentoring Toolkit