Employee Behavioral Competencies

All Colgate employees contribute to creating a thriving campus community, through the job-related aspects of their work, as well as their interactions with colleagues and community members.

Colgate’s staff behavioral competencies support the university in creating and sustaining a positive and effective workplace environment.

Staff Behavioral Competencies

Personal Accountability for Results

  • Takes responsibility for decisions, performance, and outcomes
  • Behaves in a responsible manner with a positive attitude
  • Shows self-awareness and openness to feedback

Effective Communication

  • Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills
  • Shares information and seeks input from others
  • Adapts communication to diverse audiences; protects private and confidential information

Problem Solving and Decision Making

  • Analyzes and prioritizes situations to identify and solve problems
  • Generates solutions to improve efficiency and quality
  • Involves others in solving problems and making decisions
  • Factors organizational goals into decisions
  • Makes clear, transparent, and timely decisions

Change Management

  • Responds positively to changing university initiatives and readily adapts behavior to maintain effective performance
  • Understands the long-term direction of the university and can relate this to departmental area
  • Adapts to new methodologies
  • Identifies and acts on areas where change is appropriate

Leadership and Teamwork

  • Applies skills and knowledge to provide a climate to achieve departmental and organizational success
  • Balances individual and department goals
  • Helps others perform at their best
  • Builds productive relationships to enhance individual and organizational effectiveness
  • Treats others with respect
  • Resolves conflicts among team members

Creativity and Innovation

  • Generates, explores, encourages, and implements innovative ways of creating strategic value for the university, division, department, and individual level
  • Critically assesses the effectiveness of new initiatives

Diversity and Inclusion

  • Demonstrates respect for people and their differences
  • Understands the benefits of a diverse workforce
  • Earns the trust and respect of others
  • Includes and welcomes others
  • Works to understand the perspective of others
  • Promotes opportunities to experience diversity within our community

Sustainability

  • Understands the impact of decision making and personal behavior in achieving the university’s commitment to a sustainable and carbon-neutral campus
  • Supports and advances the university’s sustainability initiatives
  • Influences others to use sustainable practices