Situational Judgement Flashcards
CFPT
The Eight Principles
- Follow the chain of command;
- If tasked with an item, do it;
- Research, be informed;
- Keep to deadlines;
- Don’t punt, be a leader;
- Respect your colleagues;
- Take action; and
- Be direct (i.e., don’t be passive and don’t be passive-aggressive).
Follow the Chain of Command (Principle 1)
You are part of a bureaucratic organization with supervisors. You need to respect this aspect of the job. This does not mean you must follow it blindly if your boss tells you to do something. No. However, it means you must respect the task.
Only go to your boss’s supervisor after first checking and understanding why your boss is making a decision. You should only go over your supervisor’s head as a last resort.
If Tasked with an Item, Do It (Principle 2)
As we have already discussed, BEX wants you to take the best action, which means you must act on the given issue. You have been delegated responsibility, and as such, you are the item’s owner. Your responsibility is to succeed or fail, so make sure you act.
Research + Be Informed (Principle 3)
Don’t be a “yes man,” blindly accept precedent, or do things because others have pushed it through.
If something doesn’t seem right to you or you are unsure of an action to take, do what you have to inform yourself, and do so first as an individual. This will mean research manuals, looking up procedures, speaking with your supervisor for reasons to feedback, and more. What is essential is to seek further understanding to act.
Let me repeat that critical word in case you missed it. Act as an individual first. Remember the environment; everybody is busy with work. Would your colleagues help you? Of course. But State is looking for efficient and self-driven individuals. If you bother your colleagues every time you do not know the answer, then (a) you won’t learn, and (b) you will disrupt their work.
Keep to Deadlines (Principle 4)
If you are given a task with a deadline, do everything you can to meet that deadline. Providing nothing is often worse than delivering something – note all the missing things to be transparent.
Don’t Punt, Be a Leader (Principle 5)
Remember the “environment”; everybody is busy in the well-oiled bureaucratic machine. If you are assigned a task, you must do everything you can to complete that task. Don’t seek others to do your assignments (don’t punt).
If you oversee a team, then lead and delegate. Leverage the employees’ skills that you manage, provide reasons for decisions, and be the strategist.
Respect Your Colleagues (Principle 6)
This one builds off of the others but still deserves its own principle. Don’t be a pain to others. Don’t be disparaging. Don’t treat others poorly. Within this principle also lies the following: be culturally respectful and supportive. This includes having the patience not only to learn but also to teach. Furthermore, do respect that if your colleagues have a dissenting opinion, you must be professional and open to hearing differing views and trying to reach a consensus. Also, don’t keep your colleagues in the dark; be transparent with your rationale and direction.
Take Action (Principle 7)
This principle also builds off a previous one but deserves to be highlighted. You must act; no action is usually the worst choice. Passive action is a close second. If you cannot take action without a supervisor’s approval, do everything you can up to that point and more. Accomplish this by having plans of action or solutions to discuss with your supervisor and the choice you would like to pursue (but be open to feedback and course-correcting).
Be Direct - Not Passive or Passive-Aggressive (Principle 8)
If you have a concern, tell the person (even if that person is your supervisor or someone higher up in the chain). If you do not like something taking place, bring it to light. If you don’t like what your colleague is doing, don’t start rumors, and don’t be passive-aggressive. Be direct and tell the person what is on your mind, how they are being disruptive, or how a situation is causing XYZ’s problem.
Leadership Skills (4 points)
-Take initiative
-Go beyond assigned tasks
-Identifies problems and proposes creative (but sensible) solutions
-Take CALCULATED risks to improve performance
Decision Making and Judgement (5 points)
-Identifies safety/security issues and acts confidently within context of responsibilities
-Makes logical, orderly recommendations
-Sensitive to the needs/opinions of others
-Display good judgement by discerning what is appropriate, practical, realistic, and allowable in performance
-Keeps superiors informed of situations requiring their attention.
Team Building (3 points)
-Open to views of others
-Works in a collaborative, inclusive/ outcome-oriented way with both US and other organizations
-Accepts and implements team consensus
Openness to Dissent and Differing Views (3 points)
-Demonstrates ability to speak openly about constructive dissent, even at the risk of being criticized.
-Publicly supports official decisions and uses the proper channels to voice concerns about said decisions.
-Seeks to resolve disputes using appropriate mechanisms.
Community Service and Institution Building
-Actively participates in outreach/community service that help employees. i.e. volunteering for events, initiatives, and other activities.
Managerial Skills (7 Points)
-Plans, organizes, and directs operations within their responsibility.
-Ensures own projects meet customer requirements, are fulfilled on schedule, and within budget.
-Accepts supervision and guidance.
-Supports projects of others.
-Represents their department while also considering the interests of other departments.
-Provides feedback to supervisors.
-Demonstrates commitment and courage to make difficult choices, and caring about the results.
