Heavener competencies
Business Gators in action
Our mindset is to empower you to achieve your academic, professional, and personal goals.
To be successful in life beyond your time at Warrington’s Heavener School of Business, you’ll need to continually develop the skills you already have, gain new ones, and learn to apply them in different settings.
Heavener’s core competencies
Future employers, along with graduate and professional schools, will expect that you to demonstrate these core competencies in the business world. Their development will empower you to succeed academically and beyond.
Critical thinking and problem solving
The ability to evaluate evidence, identify assumptions, and apply logic to solve problems and make decisions. Development begins with recognizing and applying structured problem-solving approaches, evolves into interpreting data and analyzing alternatives, and culminates in generating original solutions and making decisions with ethical, inclusive, and data-informed reasoning.
Communication
The ability to convey meaning clearly and effectively through verbal, non-verbal, visual, and written channels in academic, professional, and intercultural settings. Learners progress from understanding communication fundamentals to applying audience-appropriate strategies, giving and receiving feedback, and ultimately leading through high-stakes, persuasive communication and adapting messages across platforms and audiences. Demonstrates active listening by focusing attention, paraphrasing others’ points, and responding appropriately to clarify meaning and foster understanding.
Global and cultural intelligence
The capacity to engage with individuals from varying cultural and social backgrounds through the development of cultural awareness, adaptability, and empathy. It involves acquiring knowledge of various cultural norms and practices, enabling individuals to navigate complex intercultural environments with sensitivity, respect, and informed perspective.
Leadership
The ability to positively influence individuals and groups toward shared goals through vision, empathy, and ethical decision-making. Early stages involve observing and reflecting on leadership in action, progressing to leading peer groups or initiatives, and culminating in mentoring others, managing complexity, and creating a vision that drives organizational or social change.
Teamwork and collaboration
The ability to collaborate effectively within diverse groups by building trust, managing conflict, and contributing to shared outcomes. Learners start by identifying roles and listening actively, move toward contributing consistently and resolving conflicts, and ultimately co-create inclusive teams, facilitate group success, and lead collaborative innovation.
Professionalism
The consistent demonstration of integrity, accountability, and ethical behavior in personal and professional contexts. Development begins with understanding expectations around behavior, appearance, and responsibility; progresses through consistently meeting deadlines and navigating ambiguity; and culminates in self-regulation, modeling professional conduct, and shaping organizational culture.
Career and self development
The ability to proactively build knowledge, skills, and networks that support lifelong career growth. Learners begin by exploring their values and strengths, progress to setting and pursuing career goals, and ultimately demonstrate strategic career planning, reflection, and mentorship. This competency develops through increasing autonomy, self-awareness, and the ability to align experiences with evolving professional aspirations.
Technical acumen
The ability to identify, evaluate, and ethically use digital tools and platforms to accomplish goals and improve processes. Early development focuses on digital literacy and comfort with common tools. Learners then apply appropriate technologies to real-world problems, and at advanced levels, they integrate and adapt tools, innovate digital solutions, and lead technology-enabled initiatives.
Build your competency transcript
The Gator Ready app helps you build a transcript that records your academic and experiential learning success, including the application of the Heavener competencies.