Minnesota Institute of Public Health

Stephen Glenn, Ph.D. for many years wrote and conducted trainings called Developing Capable Young People, and later morphed that into workplace trainings entitled Developing Capable Employees.

I think he was on to something important.

The theory was that capable employees are by definition those who truly believe they can influence what happens to them, to their company, to their future. Non-capable people by contrast are those who, whether students in school or staff at work come to believe “Its Luck if I make it or Fate if I don’t, but either way I had little or nothing to do with what happened.”

Glenn cites what he calls the Significant Seven - a list of perceptions and skills that are the underpinnings of capable people. What do I need to know, and what do I need to be able to do, to be a capable professional in my work?

The Perceptions are:

• I am capable. I can face problems and challenges and gain strength and wisdom through experience.
• I am significant. My life has meaning and purposes – and what I have to offer is of value in the scheme of things.
• I have influence. My actions and choices influence what happens.

The Skills are:

• How to respond to feelings effectively – self-assessment, self-control, and self-discipline.
• How to communicate, cooperate, negotiate, empathize, resolve conflicts, and listen effectively when dealing with people.
• How to be responsible, adaptable, and flexible.
• How to set goals, make judgments and decisions based on ethical principles, wisdom and experience.

These perceptions and skills can be nurtured, supported, and developed among ourselves and our colleagues.

For me, it makes the difference between a work environment that excels, and one that simply exists.

What’s YOUR sense of the importance of capable people in your work environment?

- JJ