Skillset Levelling Rubric

Owned by Sahil Kale
Last updated: 2023-01-16 by Jinghao Lei
7 min read

Overview

In September 2022, someone asked me [Sahil], “how do you evaluate/determine whether someone is a good fit for a leadership role?” The answer is one I am putting here as I believe it can help determine whether an individual is a good fit for a leadership role and where they may have opportunities to improve. This guide is also intended to be visible to allow for self-reflection.

A little bit about my own experience…

For the past eight-ish years, I’ve been fortunate to have run several organizations of varying sizes, scopes, and missions - doing so has allowed me to learn a lot about the differences between running a scrappy 3-person team to an organization with thousands of individuals. Of the three above-listed factors that I use to describe organizations, I’ve come to the opinion that the primary factor that alters my opinion of evaluating valuable skillsets in prospective leadership strengths is the organization's size. I’ve reflected on this guide to show what I believe are the key skill sets for an organization of our size (~50 active), but as we grow (or shrink ), it’s important to look at how each category should be weighted.

Categories

Vision

  • Vision refers to the team member's ability to articulate and communicate their understanding of the organization's future direction, including their ability to discuss the growth and expansion of the organization. A strong vision means that the team member can provide specific examples and details about how they see WARG evolving and how their work fits into this vision. It also means they can align their work with the overall goals and direction of the organization. This is essential to leadership and helps ensure the team works towards a common goal.

Level

Desired Competency

Level

Desired Competency

Senior IC/PM

-

Sub-team lead

  • Can provide clear direction and goals for the team members and align them with the overall vision and goals of the organization.

  • Leads by example and acts as a role model for aligning work with the organization's vision and goals, as well as provide guidance and support to other team leads and members to do the same.

Executive

  • Develops and communicate a long-term vision and strategy for the organization that is aligned with the teams's goals and objectives

  • Lead and inspire the entire organization to work towards the shared vision and goals, and effectively communicate the vision and strategy to both internal and external stakeholders.

  • Makes strategic decisions that align with the organization's vision, goals and values.

  • Measures and tracks the progress of the organization towards achieving the vision and goals, and make necessary adjustments as needed.

 

Drive

  • Drive refers to the team member's ability to drive the team forward. This includes their ability to set clear and ambitious goals, create a sense of urgency, and inspire and motivate the team to achieve them. They should be able to communicate the objectives and the plan to reach them, as well as hold the team members accountable for follow-through. They should also be able to identify and remove obstacles preventing the team from reaching its goals. They should be able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the team and make use of them to reach the objectives. A team member who demonstrates this quality takes ownership and initiative and can keep the team focused, motivated, and productive.

Level

Desired Competency

Level

Desired Competency

Senior IC/PM

  • Able to set clear and ambitious goals for themselves and their work

  • Can create a sense of urgency to meet deadlines and achieve goals

  • Can motivate themselves to achieve their goals, and can inspire and lead by example for their peers

Sub-team lead

  • Able to identify and remove obstacles that may be preventing the team from reaching its goals.

  • Able to lead by example and act as a role model for actively taking ownership and initiative, and can provide guidance and support to other team leads to do the same.

  • Able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the team members and make use of them to achieve the objectives.

Executive

  • Sets clear and ambitious goals for the entire organization, creating a sense of urgency to meet deadlines and achieve them.

  • Inspires and motivates the entire organization to achieve the goals, by leading by example and creating a culture of ownership and initiative.

  • Identifies and remove obstacles that may be preventing the organization from reaching its goals.

  • Able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and work on improving weakpoints while capitalizing on strengths

  • Able to measure and track the progress of the organization towards achieving the goals, and make necessary adjustments as needed.

People Management

  • People management refers to the team member's ability to effectively manage and lead other team members. This includes their ability to provide direction, guidance, and support to team members, as well as their ability to create a positive and productive team environment. They should be able to communicate expectations, provide constructive feedback, and recognize and reward good performance. They should also be able to identify and address any issues or conflicts that may arise within the team and take steps to resolve them. A team member who demonstrates this quality is someone who can create a sense of unity and collaboration among team members and can foster an environment of mutual respect and trust.

Level

Desired Competency

Level

Desired Competency

Senior IC/PM

  • Able to provide direction and guidance to their peers when needed

  • Can create a positive and productive work environment for themselves and others

  • Can provide constructive feedback to their peers

  • Ability to mentor team members

Sub-team lead

  • Able to effectively manage and lead a small team

  • Communicates clear expectations, provide constructive feedback and recognize good performance

  • Identifies and addresses issues and conflicts within the team, and take steps to resolve them

  • Can provide constructive feedback, recognize and reward good performance

  • Fosters an environment of mutual respect and trust among the team members

  • Acts as the primary mentor of the sub-team, seeks to develop mentors and senior individuals in their organization by giving them opportunities to level up.

Executive

  • Able to manage and lead the entire organization effectively

  • Can communicate clear expectations and provide guidance and support to the entire organization

  • Proactively addresses issues and conflicts within the organization; shows exemplary conflict management skills and seeks resolution

  • Mentors leads in these skillsets and level up leadership ability.

 

Project Management

  • Project management refers to the team member's ability to effectively manage and lead projects is evaluated. This includes their ability to define project objectives and scope, create and manage project plans, assign tasks and manage resources to deliver the project on time, on budget and to the required quality standards. They should be able to communicate effectively with the stakeholders and manage their expectations. They should be able to identify and mitigate project risks and can, make decisions and take corrective action when needed. They should also be able to lead and coordinate a team of people and ensure that all tasks are completed on time and to the required standard. A team member demonstrating this quality can plan and effectively organize the project while delivering results.

Level

Desired Competency

Level

Desired Competency

Senior IC/PM

  • Able to effectively manage their own tasks and deliverables within a project

  • Can contribute to the development of project plans and objectives

  • Can identify risks for their own tasks and deliverables

Sub-team lead

  • Can define project objectives and scope, create and manage project plans, assign tasks and manage resources to deliver the project on time, on budget and to the required quality standards

  • Can identify and mitigate project risks, make decisions and take corrective action when needed

  • Can lead and coordinate a small team of people and ensure that all tasks are completed on time and to the required standards

  • Makes decisions prudently and with due consideration to the impact of other areas of the project and organization.

Executive

  • Able to effectively manage and lead multiple large and complex projects

  • Can lead and coordinate multiple teams and ensure that all tasks are completed on time and to the required standard (i.e. become a “lead of leads')

  • Aligns projects with the overall goals and strategy of the organization.

Administrative Ability & Communication

  • Administrative ability refers to the team member's ability to handle administrative tasks and responsibilities. This includes their ability to organize and maintain accurate and up-to-date records, handle correspondence and communication, schedule meetings and appointments, and manage office operations. They should be able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and responsibilities and handle confidential and sensitive information discreetly and professionally. They should also be able to use office equipment and software effectively and efficiently and perform basic bookkeeping and accounting tasks. A team member who demonstrates this quality is someone who can keep the team running smoothly and can ensure that the administrative tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner.

  • Communication refers to the team member's ability to communicate effectively. This includes their ability to express themselves clearly and concisely, both in writing and verbally. They should be able to tailor their communication style to different audiences and present information and ideas in a logical and organized manner. They should also be able to actively listen and understand the perspectives of others and be able to address questions and concerns professionally and respectfully. They should be able to lead meetings and presentations and facilitate discussions and decision-making. A team member who demonstrates this quality is someone who can effectively convey information, ideas and opinions and can maintain positive relationships with colleagues, customers and stakeholders.

Level

Desired Competency

Level

Desired Competency

Senior IC/PM

  • Expresses their ideas and thoughts clearly and concisely, both in writing and verball

Sub-team lead

  • Able to organize and maintain accurate and up-to-date records

  • Schedules meetings and appointments for the subteam

  • Handles confidential and sensitive information discreetly and professionally

  • Tailors communication style to different audiances

  • Maintains clear lines of communication and generally considered reachable; active in discussions in both online and in-person mediums

Executive

  • Ability to handle correspondence and communication for and to the entire organization

  • Lead and facilitate meetings and discussions with the entire organization

 

Competiton Rubric

When assessing individuals who should come to competition, the following key points should be assessed

  • Tenure (how long have they been active on the team)

  • Ability to work under stress

  • Collaborative ability

In addition, the communication, drive, and project management skillset tiers should be evaluated.

 

@Sahil Kale @Anthony Luo @Dhruv Upadhyay @Jinghao Lei to turn this into an actual rubric

References

Software Engineer Leveling Matrix - © Bradford Fults, CC-BY