Expert Says For Best Results, Mix And Match 'Executive Skills' To Jobs, Tasks

LAS VEGAS - "Executive skills" are not limited to executives, but they do map neatly to characteristics needed in the workplace, according to the author of books on success in business.

Chuck Martin, chairman and CEO of Madbury, N.H.-based NFI Research, which analyzes trends and attitudes in business, organizational management, and information technology, said psychologists refer to the brain as the "CEO" of the body. Executive skills, he continued, are grounded in brain functions.

"Everyone has two or three skills in which they are highest, and two or three in which they are lowest," the former IBM vice president told attendees of WesCorp's recent Credit Union Outlook conference here. "Under stress, the weaker skills fail first."

Matching jobs to people is the "Holy Grail" of management, he said. For example, a great sales person often makes a terrible sales manager because the skills required are different.

"Organizations often do not play to peoples' strengths," Martin observed.

According to Martin, jobs requiring creativity or new ideas call for people who are high in flexibility and observation.

Marketing jobs need high levels of flexibility, planning/prioritization and observation. Communications positions require planning/prioritization and defining and achieving goals.

Customer service jobs are best for people who are high in self-restraint, flexibility, emotion control and task initiation.

"Cognitive bandwidth also is important," he said. "This means how much information can be handled at one time in the frontal lobe of the brain. Too much can cause a shutdown, which formerly was referred to as information overload."

The 12 Executive Skills

* Self-restraint-the ability to think before speaking.

* Working Memory-the ability to remember one thing while many other things are taking place.

* Emotion Control-the ability to remain cool and calm in a crisis, and to accept criticism.

* Focus-the ability to stay on task and avoid "distractibility."

* Task Initiation-the ability to start tasks and undo procrastination.

* Planning/Prioritization-the ability to create a road map for a task or series of tasks.

* Organization-the ability to give everything a place in one's brain.

* Time Management-the ability to sense time is important.

* Defining and Achieving Goals-the ability to keep on path.

* Flexibility-the ability to have someone else's agenda replace yours and be okay.

* Observation-the ability to step back, analyze how oneself performed, and do better next time.

* Stress Tolerance-the ability to take stress in stride.