Competency development is one of the hottest topics in the HR profession. Still there is much confusion among managers about what a competency is and how to use it effectively. Here, author Paul Green draws on twenty--five years of training, consulting, and employee assessment experience to establish a behavioral language that describes, guides, and links actions at work. This is the foundation for developing clearly defined competencies that help executives, managers, and HR professionals communicate performance goals through every step of the HR process----including interviewing, appraisal, coaching, and training--in ways that directly support an organization's mission, vision, and values.