--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started first by building a skills…" description: "\"“I started first by building a skills inventory of each team member (learning about competencies) and worked with them individually identifying their s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/allan-r-cohen-99882_competencies_i-started-first-by-building-a-skills-inv_596909.jpg" --- # I started first by building a skills inventory of each… ![“I started first by building a skills inventory of each team member (learning about competencies) and worked with them individually identifying their strengths and weaknesses.” quote by Allan R. Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/allan-r-cohen-99882_competencies_i-started-first-by-building-a-skills-inv_596909.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/allan-r-cohen-99882_competencies_i-started-first-by-building-a-skills-inv_596909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/allan-r-cohen-99882_competencies_i-started-first-by-building-a-skills-inv_596909.jpg) > ““I started first by building a skills inventory of each team member (learning about competencies) and worked with them individually identifying their strengths and weaknesses.”” Allan R. Cohen ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Building a skills inventory and identifying each team member's strengths and weaknesses improves teamwork. **In simple terms:** Create skills inventory, identify strengths/weaknesses. Key Takeaway Use strengths, address gaps. Themes teamwork development assessment Mood analytical practical Type professional instructional When to use this quote - project management - HR planning - performance reviews Key Concepts skill mapping strengths weaknesses Questions to Reflect On - How can strengths be best utilized? - What supports help address weaknesses? A Different Perspective May overlook interpersonal dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Competency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competency/) [Skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skill/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Team member](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-member/) [Teamwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teamwork/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) ## Related quotes > [He is not poor who has a competency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/he-is-not-poor-who-has-a-competency/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Authority does not equal competency. Pass decisions down to those who can best handle them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/authority-does-not-equal-competency-pass-decisions-down-to-those-who/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [It's not a competency if you don't know the edge of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-s-not-a-competency-if-you-don-t-know-the-edge-of-it/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Trust is a competency. It's something you can get good at. It's a strength you personally, and your team and your company can master.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/trust-is-a-competency-it-s-something-you-can-get-good-at-it-s-a/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust is the key professional and personal competency of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/the-ability-to-establish-grow-extend-and-restore-trust-is-the-key/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [What does competency in the long run mean? It means to all reasonable beings, cleanliness of person, decency of dress, courtesy of manners, opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/what-does-competency-in-the-long-run-mean-it-means-to-all-reasonable/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Authority does not equal competency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/authority-does-not-equal-competency/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Trust is clearly a key competency. A competency or skill that can be learned, taught, and improved and one that talent can be screened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/trust-is-clearly-a-key-competency-a-competency-or-skill-that-can-be/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [The best medicine that a person can have is the knowledge and experience that he can swim through every tide and change of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-best-medicine-that-a-person-can-have-is-the-knowledge-and/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [We have to have a special insight, or we'll put it in the 'too tough' basket. All of you have to look for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-have-to-have-a-special-insight-or-we-ll-put-it-in-the-too-tough/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We've lost our competitive spirit. We've become so obsessed with making kids feel good about themselves that we've lost sight of building the skills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rhee/we-ve-lost-our-competitive-spirit-we-ve-become-so-obsessed-with/) [Michelle Rhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rhee/) > [For practitioners of community development, as in any field, joining a network of like-minded professionals is important for building skills and becoming aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/for-practitioners-of-community-development-as-in-any-field-joining-a/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [“To become a king of that territory, you must not allow any of your time pass without converting it into building your skills in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/to-become-a-king-of-that-territory-you-must-not-allow-any-of-your/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“To become the king of your territory you must not allow any of your time pass without converting it into building your skills in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/to-become-the-king-of-your-territory-you-must-not-allow-any-of-your/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [In addition to building the skills needed for the jobs of today and connecting individuals to these jobs, it is imperative to foster entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/in-addition-to-building-the-skills-needed-for-the-jobs-of-today-and/) [Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/) ## More by Allan R. Cohen > [“One of the authors, then a department head, found that this worked when a colleague was trying to manipulate and bully him (about office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-r-cohen/one-of-the-authors-then-a-department-head-found-that-this-worked-when/) Allan R. Cohen Explore all 2 Allan R. Cohen quotes ## More Competencies quotes > [We have to have a special insight, or we'll put it in the 'too tough' basket. All of you have to look for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-have-to-have-a-special-insight-or-we-ll-put-it-in-the-too-tough/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Knowing the edge of your competency is important. If you think you know more than you do, you will get in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/knowing-the-edge-of-your-competency-is-important-if-you-think-you/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [We should spend less time ranking children and more time helping them to identify their natural competencies and gifts, and cultivate those.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/we-should-spend-less-time-ranking-children-and-more-time-helping-them/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“LEADERSHIP ABILITIES Some competencies are relevant (though not sufficient) when evaluating senior manager candidates. While each job and organization is different, the best leaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leadership-abilities-some-competencies-are-relevant-though-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When a man is to travel into a far country...one staff in his hand may comfortably support him, but a bundle of staves would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sibbes/when-a-man-is-to-travel-into-a-far-country-one-staff-in-his-hand-may/) [Richard Sibbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sibbes/) > [We all have different competencies. Some of us are intellectually gifted, some of us athletically gifted, some of us are great listeners. Everyone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/we-all-have-different-competencies-some-of-us-are-intellectually/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [The best medicine that a person can have is the knowledge and experience that he can swim through every tide and change of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-best-medicine-that-a-person-can-have-is-the-knowledge-and/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Recruiting is a core competency for any company. It should never be outsourced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/recruiting-is-a-core-competency-for-any-company-it-should-never-be/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [Delegation requires the willingness to pay for short term failures in order to gain long term competency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/delegation-requires-the-willingness-to-pay-for-short-term-failures-in/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Great leaders, the research shows, are made as they gradually acquire, in the course of their lives and careers, the competencies that make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/great-leaders-the-research-shows-are-made-as-they-gradually-acquire/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [It is up to each voter to evaluate honesty and competency in a factual, therefore fair way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/it-is-up-to-each-voter-to-evaluate-honesty-and-competency-in-a/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Trust is clearly a key competency. A competency or skill that can be learned, taught, and improved and one that talent can be screened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/trust-is-clearly-a-key-competency-a-competency-or-skill-that-can-be/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [It has been my experience that competency in mathematics, both in numerical manipulations and in understanding its conceptual foundations, enhances a person's ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/it-has-been-my-experience-that-competency-in-mathematics-both-in/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [There is a distorted perception of what goes on in Brussels. No one reports on the Commission taking a hundred initiatives from its predecessor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/there-is-a-distorted-perception-of-what-goes-on-in-brussels-no-one/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [Authority does not equal competency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/authority-does-not-equal-competency/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) Browse all 60 Competencies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I started first by building a skills inventory of each team member (learning about competencies) and worked with them individually identifying their strengths and weaknesses.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Allan R. 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