Horizontal Leadership Competencies

At Cadence OneFive, leadership is not defined by hierarchical positions but by the ability to drive results, foster collaboration, and contribute to our mission of accelerating building decarbonization. These competencies outline the skills and behaviors expected from individuals in leadership roles within our horizontal organization structure, regardless of their specific title or domain.

Skills & Competencies

Results Delivery

Ability to achieve outcomes and drive progress towards organizational goals.

Behaviors:

  • Sets clearly-defined objectives aligned with company goals

  • Breaks down big goals into achievable chunks and thinks in iterations

  • Honestly assesses results and progress

  • Creates and stewards operational strategies, keeping on top of high-level needs and gaps

Strategic Vision

Capacity to develop and implement long-term plans that align with organizational objectives.

Behaviors:

  • Develops and implements multi-year plans for their domain or product

  • Identifies long-term requirements and organizes gradual delivery to maximize impact

  • Balances scalability, maintainability, and speed of delivery

  • Excels at prioritizing and deploying resources on the most impactful projects

Risk Awareness and Management

Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks while capitalizing on opportunities.

Behaviors:

  • Conceptualizes and categorizes business risks relevant to the program or product

  • Maintains awareness of available mitigants and implements them effectively

  • Watches for when risks open up opportunities and capitalizes on them

  • Advocates and enforces best practices adapted to our growth stage

Effective Communication

  • Writes concise, clear, plain-English documents, missives, and presentations. Cultivates disciplined editing habits honed for disambiguation and accessibility

  • Exercises social awareness and empathy in interpersonal interactions

  • Is highly responsive to both internal and external stakeholders

Customer Focus

Commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs within their market context.

Behaviors:

  • Strives to understand the customer’s needs broadly within the context of their market

  • Seeks to provide positive experiences for the customer

  • Incorporates customer feedback into strategic planning and execution

Best-Practices Orientation

Dedication to implementing and evolving industry best practices relevant to our stage of growth.

Behaviors:

  • Advocates for industry/practice-area processes relevant to our growth stage

  • Customizes industry best-practices to our current needs and plans for their evolution

  • Identifies gaps in our methodology and creates iterative solutions

  • Relentlessly trims ‘Zombie processes’ that slow us down

Collaborative Leadership

Ability to foster cooperation and consider diverse perspectives in decision-making through inclusive decision processes.

Behaviors:

  • Uses horizontal decision processes and promotes inclusive decision-making

  • Considers the impact of decisions on individuals, teams, and company culture

  • Promotes approaches and vocabulary that can be understood across functions

  • Facilitates clear communication between technical and non-technical team members

Transparency Promotion

Constantly promotes practices and processes that enhance transparency, with the goal of enhancing organizational sustainability, supporting inclusive decision-making, supporting managers of one, and clarity of purpose.

Behaviors:

  • Creates processes that bake-in transparency

  • Embraces building a culture of written, explicit knowledge

  • Encourages active participation in building institutional memory

  • Ensures clear documentation and communication of decisions and processes

Adaptive Problem-Solving

Skill in addressing complex challenges and adapting to changing circumstances.

Behaviors:

  • Analyzes complex situations and develops effective solutions

  • Adapts strategies in response to changing requirements or obstacles

  • Thinks creatively to overcome project and organizational challenges

  • Remains calm and focused under pressure

Continuous Learning and Development

Commitment to personal growth and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Behaviors:

  • Actively seeks opportunities for personal and professional development

  • Encourages and facilitates learning and growth within the team and organization

  • Stays informed about industry trends and integrates new knowledge into practices

  • Promotes a culture of experimentation and learning from both successes and failures

Responsibilities

Because we’re a small team, leaders are expected to make sure day-to-day needs are met:

  • Creation and stewardship of the operational strategy

  • Keeping on top of high-level needs and gaps for the smooth functioning of the domain (budgets, tools, resources, etc.)

  • Contract negotiation and contract management for vendors and consultants, grants, etc.

  • Oversight of talent acquisition strategy & execution thereof.