I finally found some time this weekend to sit down with Competency-Based Resumes. I read through it fairly quickly, and then decided to work through the list of core competencies as if they were an exercise.

The idea has been to think of examples in my life that demonstrate that I have certain competencies. So far, I’ve decided that I might actually be a better communicator than I am a leader, although I know many (myself among them) who would beg to differ.

One of the skills, though, really worried me. It turns out I’m not really into building relationships that depend on reciprocity. Okay, anyone who knows me is going to agree with that one, too. The skill involved doing work for someone else to form a foundation for reciprocity, but I’ve long been of the belief (and practice) that if I can do something that helps out someone else, then I should just do it. It shouldn’t depend on what I can get from the other person.

I can’t even make myself try to discuss my own opinion in the frame of building authentic relationships, because I don’t believe authenticity and expected reciprocity can exist peacefully in the same paradigm.

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned. Maybe someone can explain to me how this works without making me feel like I’m giving up a rather important part of who I am.

Posted by Rebecca in Uncategorized