--- title: Uncommon Competencies description: Develop employee skills like never before with Uncommon Competencies. Identify what’s needed in any role, as well as the practice and training required to grow. --- [![IMG_5058-compressed](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5058-compressed.jpeg?width=1638&height=1638&name=IMG_5058-compressed.jpeg) ![IMG_5060-compressed](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5060-compressed.jpeg?width=99&height=99&name=IMG_5060-compressed.jpeg)](https://www.culturesmithinc.com?hsLang=en) # Build Competencies., Skills.,Talent.,Innovation.,Efficiency.,Collaboration.,Potential.,Engagement.,Performance. #### Develop & refine core skills, foster unparalleled growth, and achieve peak performance with ease.   #### Many believe talent is innate - you have it or you don't. We know better. Uncommon CompetenciesTM uses an innovative approach, identifying the 36 competencies essential for the ‘future of work’. We then provide guidance on how to master each based on observable behaviours. Building a skilled team tailored to the needs of your organization has never been easier or more predictable. Embrace the new age of talent development with us. Watch as your teams transform, driving exceptional results with skills cultivated to their highest potential. Request your free demo of Uncommon Competencies™ today. #### We know the power of questions when developing and shaping changes in behavior. It sparks curiosity, reduces bias, and deepens learning. It's just one of the reasons we put our FAQs at the top of every page - to help you determine if we are the right fit to change your team's behavior. - #### How would you explain Uncommon Competencies to me if I was 5 years old? Imagine your company is a big soccer team, and each player has special moves or skills they need to do well in a match. This tool helps you understand what those moves or skills are, how well each player can do them, and how to make them better at them. It also shows how they should play to make your team special and win more games. As a leader, this makes it easier to understand and improve everyone's role and performance in the team. - #### How is Uncommon Competencies any better than writing more detailed job descriptions? Writing better job descriptions is like having a basic rulebook for each player. Uncommon CompetenciesTM is more like a personal coach for each player, showing them how to improve their game, how to play well with others, and how to help the team win. It offers more personalized and effective development for each team member, in ways that make it easier for leaders to contribute to that development. - #### How does Uncommon Competencies help with cultural shifts due to rapid growth? If your vision, mission and values offer the map for your growth, Uncommon Competencies are the GPS that tells people where they are and what’s needed to get to the next level. As a leader, this lets you zoom out and see where everyone is on that map - how your culture is changing and the shifts needed to guide it in the direction you want. In short, it provides a clearer understanding of cultural changes and how to navigate them in real time. - #### How can Uncommon Competencies help me add and develop new leaders? Think of it as a guidebook for any new leader and the team they are joining. It shows them how to blend in with your team's unique style and helps them avoid common pitfalls that can hurt their performance. It enhances the onboarding and success of new leaders by clearly defining everyone’s lane, and how to leverage each other to keep ‘traffic’ flowing. - #### I thought ‘culture’ was all about core values. How do ‘competencies’ help us with culture? Culture is ‘how things are done around here’. But you still need to know exactly ‘what’ to do and what ‘done’ looks like. Our model acts like your team's detailed playbook. It defines the unique moves that make your team special and shows everyone how to stick to them. It is through the expression of these competencies that your culture truly forms. Which is why out Uncommon Competencies product was designed to work hand-in-glove with our Uncommon Norms that define the unwritten rules of how everyone should behave. - #### How can Uncommon Competencies help reduce trust issues and unnecessary conflict? Not all conflict is bad. In fact Task Conflict - disagreements about the content of the work relative to the team’s goal - are essential to drive performance. It’s a myth that conflict creates trust issues. A lack of Task Conflict leads many teammates to not trust others will execute. By defining exactly what is needed in each role, and the development path everyone is on, this tool turns conflict into the constructive tool it’s supposed to be in high-performing teams. - #### How can Uncommon Competencies help reduce the turnover we’ve been experiencing? Disengaged employees stay for what they get. Engaged employees stay for what they GIVE. Growth is an essential human psychological need. By defining exactly what growth entails, this tool has been proven to extend people’s tenure in their role, by showing them the growth that lies ahead. Raises and promotions are technically elements of job dissatisfaction - when people are dissatisfied these are the ‘simplest’ things to worry about. Job satisfaction comes from one’s connection to their work. We define that connection, reducing people’s feelings of boredom and dissatisfaction. - #### You often link leadership with parenting. How can developing the competencies in my job really affect this? Being a leader and being a parent are both roles. Role identity is an essential element of our personality. To put it plainly, if you are struggling in one role, it’s easy to have those negative emotions extend to all others. By defining what “success” looks like as a leader, we offer you perspective that élimantes the feeling, “my job sucks”. As with all of our tools, this was first built to help our CEO with these very issues. To be able to determine his development gaps as a leader - before the became emotional gaps as a parent. - #### How specifically does Uncommon Competencies help my people grow within their roles? It's like a personal trainer for each employee. Muscles do not grow, unless they are trained to failure. The brain works the same way. This tool defines what “training to failure” looks like, and prescribes the exact ‘practice reps’ required for growth to occur. As an aside, this is why we feel it is essential to trust your skills training to someone who is also an expert in emotional intelligence and psychological safety. So that the attitudes around failure are appropriately set. Without this - you may be asking people to lift beyond their means, while also denying them a spotter. - #### We realize there is a war for talent right now. How can Uncommon Competencies give us an edge and make us more competitive? This is where we feel the tool actually shines brightest. Most companies fight the war for talent on the front lines of their recruiting efforts. Which is why most are destined to fail - either missing out on the top people, or overpaying to get them. By identifying the skills needed, and demystifying the steps required for people to develop in them, we dramatically deepen your talent pool. Not only that - ‘development’ now gets to be a perk you offer, reducing the need to overpay. As we say to top talent all the time - is this company paying above market because they can…or because they must? ### IDENTIFY, DEVELOP, AND ENHANCE COMPETENCIES WITH A GROUNDBREAKING MODEL.   #### As businesses evolve and teams expand, skills gaps emerge in even the most talented team, presenting an increased risk of conflict, underperformance and turnover. Enter the Uncommon Competencies. This exclusive model examines and develops 36 core workplace competencies, enhancing your team's overall performance and resilience. Whether it's strengthening current skills, adding new capabilities, or generally improving performance, Uncommon CompetenciesTM equips you with the tools to develop and evaluate competencies with clarity and precision. Let's look at some ways it can help you: #### Build Complementary Teams With *Role Evaluations:* In a growing organization filled with diverse and talented minds, collaboration requires a strategic approach. There's no denying that rapid expansion creates tension. Talented and diverse people are eager to contribute. Without the right structure, a flurry of miscommunication and conflict ensues. Uncommon CompetenciesTM was created for this purpose.   Imagine the person who insists on results, but steamrolls others to get them. Or the person who innovates and breaksevery process along the way. By taking your shared vision of the future and breaking it down into the individual competencies needed for each role to contribute, Uncommon CompetenciesTM harmonizes everyone's efforts, instilling a sense of shared responsibility, combining your talent rather than dividing it. ![IMG_8631-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) #### Always Expand In All Ways With *Deep Practice:*   Identifying the skills you need is only half the battle. Your emerging talent will stagnate without a proven method of developing those skills. Your finest people run the risk of being lured away by development opportunities elsewhere. This is where Uncommon Competencies truly offer value.   Competencies are evaluated on a developmental scale from the ability to recall basic information to the ability to create entire concepts from scratch. In addition, the scientific principle of deep practice clearly explains how to get from level to level. Like building a muscle, deep practice helps people "train to failure" so that skills can be converted into abilities, and abilities into competencies that can be applied across disciplines. Your organization gets the output it needs, and your people get the development they deserve. ![IMG_8632-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) #### Performance Management Made Manageable With *Observable Behaviours:*   Harvard professor Amy Edmondson says employees are forced to collaborate 50% more than ever before. She argues that almost everything of value in the modern economy is the result of interdependent actions and decisions. Simply put, skills no longer cut it.   Traditionally, performance management has been largely pass or fail. Either people hit their numbers or they don't. That no longer works. When top performers ignore how their performance impacts those downstream, team performance can suffer. We remove subjectivity from performance reviews by breaking competencies into observable behaviors. It frees them from metric-driven nightmares and allows peer feedback in real-time, correcting behaviour instantly. How many days of performance have annual reviews cost you? ![IMG_8633-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) #### Ready to replace skills with competencies? Get a free competency assessment for any role in your organization when you book a Free Demo. It’s the best way to discover Uncommon NormsTM's growth-enhancing power for yourself. ### How It Works: #### In three easy steps, you can discover the competencies that make your team magical: ### 1: Determine Competencies: #### To begin, we will meet with your leaders to determine what is most important to the organization. From 36 core workplace competencies, we carefully select the eight that will most contribute to the success of the role, ensuring that every move aligns with your strategic objectives. With our focused approach, we build a foundation for growth and success that fits your team like a glove, mapping out the essential competencies required to thrive. ![IMG_8637-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) ### 2: Align Behaviours: #### Next, we translate these vital competencies into observable behaviors, establishing an easy-to-understand link between skills and success. These behaviors aren't just actions; they're the DNA of your culture, embedded in every task, ensuring your organizational identity shines through every day. Identifying behaviors that support or dilute your culture helps you protect your company's long-term value by protecting its distinctiveness. ![IMG_8638-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) ### 3: Deep Practice: #### Lastly, we break down competencies into manageable chunks so they can be practiced intensely. Mistakes are embraced as learning opportunities that lead to growth. As you practice, you become adaptable and refine your skills, resulting in true mastery. It's more than training; it's a guided, evidence-based journey that turns potential into excellence one competency at a time. ![IMG_8639-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) ### Stop Chasing Skills. Start Building Talent. #### Schedule a demo call and learn how Uncommon CompetenciesTM can bring an entirely new dimension to how you build your team. ### How It’s Used: #### We believe Uncommon CompetenciesTM can contribute significantly to the transformation of workplaces into hubs of emotional wellbeing. Leaders across industries trust us to use this tool to simplify emotional intelligence, create cultures aligned with a single purpose, and to reduce their hiring risks as they grow. ### Develop Leadership EQ #### Mastering The Skills of Leadership:   #### Most leadership development programs focus on broad categories of leadership skills rather than competencies tailored to specific organizational needs. As leaders try to apply the skills they've learned, they end up overwhelmed and unable to maximize their potential.   *LeadershipEQ allows you to take the reins of your leadership journey. Our 36 core competencies will help you become a better leader. You will build long-term value and cultivate a thriving culture by mastering each competency. **\[[Learn More](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/leadership-eq?hsLang=en)\].*** ![IMG_8564-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) ### Culture Building: #### Build The Skills That Build Teams.   #### Most team building initiatives only scratch the surface, failing to address individual competencies and their impact on team performance.   *Create a growth-centric culture with Uncommon Competencies. Learn how our 36 core competencies can shape your organization's culture by identifying and encouraging behaviours that align with your team's norms, leading to long-term success.. **\[[Learn More](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/culture-smithing?hsLang=en)\].*** ![IMG_7616-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) ### Hiring Solutions: #### Moving Beyond The Resume.   #### Traditional hiring methods fall short, missing crucial insights into a candidate's competencies and how they contribute to your organization's culture.   *Discover a candidate's true skill set with our 36 core competencies model. Identify behaviours that fit your company's values, so the new hire fits your culture and enhances your existing team. **\[[Learn More](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/hire-eq?hsLang=en)\].*** ![IMG_8565-compressed](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/507386/CLEAN-images/lazy-imgs/lazy-img-800x500.png) ### Maximizing Potential:   #### Uncommon CompetenciesTM is more than a way to measure skills. Initially developed as part of our core services in emotional intelligence, culture-building, and hiring, its value has only grown over time. As a result, leaders like you use it to resolve a variety of leadership challenges, including: - #### Optimizing Employee On-Boarding: - Companies in the throes of rapid expansion face the constant challenge of integrating new hires into the culture and processes. - Without the Uncommon Competencies tool, this process may lack structure, leading to inconsistent knowledge transfer, potential culture misfit, and eventual high turnover. - The struggle can start right from the first interaction with a new employee. Uncommon Competencies makes onboarding a transformative process, by comprehensively building required skills, fostering understanding of company norms, and promoting effective communication. - The instrument at the heart of this capability is the depth of competency scale, which helps to structure, guide, and evaluate the development of each employee, based on their adherence to company and societal norms. - The outcome? A robust onboarding process that significantly reduces turnover and ensures every new hire fits seamlessly into your team. - #### Improving Performance Reviews: - Regular performance reviews shape the organization's culture, boost morale, and drive productivity. Without the Uncommon Competencies tool, this process could feel generic and lack actionable insights, leading to missed growth opportunities. - The struggle can become apparent during feedback sessions that fail to identify unique individual strengths and weaknesses. - With our tool, performance reviews transform into a growth-oriented, personalized journey, aligning individual skills with company norms. - The depth of competency scale plays a crucial role here, allowing leaders to identify skill gaps, recognize adherence or divergence from company norms, and offer constructive feedback for improvement. - The result? Performance reviews that truly resonate, leading to motivated employees and an invigorated organizational culture. - #### Better Managing Remote & Hybrid Teams: - The advent of remote and hybrid working models adds an extra layer of complexity to team management. In the absence of Uncommon Competencies, leaders may struggle with trust issues, communication hurdles, and the risk of remote workers feeling isolated or disconnected. - This struggle often becomes evident during virtual collaborations. Our tool empowers leaders to navigate this new landscape effectively by guiding team interactions based on individual skills and adherence to company norms. - The depth of competency scale is instrumental in this process, helping leaders to cultivate trust, inclusivity, and productivity in a remote setting by rewarding the outputs that lead to team wins. - The outcome? A cohesive team, irrespective of geographical boundaries, where everyone feels valued and included. - #### Mastering Succession Planning: - Succession planning ensures business continuity and is critical, especially in rapidly growing organizations. In the absence of Uncommon Competencies, this process can be hit-or-miss, potentially leading to leadership gaps and disruption. - This challenge becomes crucial when leaders need to identify and groom potential successors. - Our tool aids leaders in this endeavor by providing a clear pathway for competency development and readiness assessment. - It leverages the depth of competency scale and norm adherence behaviours to identify and nurture potential successors, ensuring they're in sync with the company's culture. - The result? A smooth succession planning process that aligns leadership development with the company's unique norms and culture, ensuring business continuity and growth. #### Why Just Read About Competencies When You Can Hear Them Too? New Episodes of Leaderhood & Parentship - The CultureSmith Podcast -Drop Every Tuesday. Below Are Past Episodes Where Uncommon CompetenciesTM Have Been Explored. #### Episode 01: Discover Your Cognitive Colour. #### Episode 02: Emotional Intelligence 101. #### Episode 3: Misconceptions About Trust. #### Episode 5: The 3-Step Process For Perfromance Feedback. #### Episode 21: Why traditional Goal-Setting Doesn’t Work.. #### Episode 40: Teh 9-Step Framework to Build Culture. #### We develop skills and competencies in high-performing teams. Our company has also had issues due to a lack of competency. That is why we are confident that Uncommon CompetenciesTM works - since we were our own first customer.We'd love to share what we've learned with you. Take advantage of our free demo today. ##### Contact Contact - (403) 809-1321 - info@culturesmithinc.com ##### Take Action Take Action - [Follow Us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/culturesmith-inc-/) - [Listen To Our Podcast](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1973236) [![IMG_5058-compressed](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5058-compressed.jpeg?width=150&height=150&name=IMG_5058-compressed.jpeg "IMG_5058-compressed")](https://www.culturesmithinc.com/?hsLang=en) Copyright © 2025 CultureSmith Inc.