Technical Expertise: The ability to demonstrate depth of knowledge and skill in a technical area.

Interpersonal Awareness: The ability to notice, interpret, and anticipate others’ concerns and feelings, and to communicate this awareness empathetically to others.

• Understands the interests and important concerns of others.
• Notices and accurately interprets what others are feeling, based on their choice of words, tone of voice, expressions, and other nonverbal behavior.
• Anticipates how others will react to a situation.
• Listens attentively to people’s ideas and concerns.
• Understands both the strengths and weaknesses of others.
• Understands the unspoken meaning in a situation.
• Says or does things to address others’ concerns.
• Finds non-threatening ways to approach others about sensitive issues.
• Makes others feel comfortable by responding in ways that convey interest in what they have to say.

13. Influencing Others: The ability to gain others’ support for ideas, proposals, projects, and solutions.

• Presents arguments that address others’ most important concerns and issues and looks for win-win solutions.
• Involves others in a process or decision to ensure their support.
• Offers trade-offs or exchanges to gain commitment.
• Identifies and proposes solutions that benefit all parties involved in a situation.
• Enlists experts or third parties to influence others.
• Develops other indirect strategies to influence others.
• Knows when to escalate critical issues to own or others’ management, if own efforts to enlist support have not succeeded.
• Structures situations (e.g., the setting, persons present, sequence of events) to create a desired impact and to maximize the chances of a favorable outcome.
• Works to make a particular impression on others.
• Identifies and targets influence efforts at the real decision makers and those who can influence them.