EICAA Competence Framework – 3 most important competences for ProMedia

The EICAA Competence Framework combines 19 competences within three competence areas. In the competence area “Ideas & Opportunities” you can find competences like “Vision”, “Valuing ideas” or “Ethical and sustainable thinking”. The area “Resources” includes “Motivation and perseverance”, “Enterprising literacy” and “Mobilising resources” amongst other ones. The area “Into Action” contains for example “Taking the initiative”, “Process management” and “Learning through experience”. Every company has some particular areas and competences which are important to them – depending on their field of work, the company size and other factors. ProMedia is a PR agency focused on the tourism sector in Tyrol. Looking back at the company’s history, we chose the following three competences which are the most important ones for us – picking one from every competence area:

Spotting opportunities (Ideas & Opportunities)
As we constantly deal with dynamic market situations due to the changing environment, we need to observe the market to be able to spot all possible opportunities. Building a core in the tourism industry was a key factor for constant growth. With time (and connections) other interesting chances presented themselves beyond the tourism sector, e.g. sports, culture or media. Making the best out of every chance opened new doors, where – once again – new opportunities arose. The main thing is to keep your eyes open not only in your own area of work where you feel comfortable, but also beyond. Sometimes even small assignments led to future big ones. Therefore, even if it feels like a task is not worth doing, sometimes it is in the long run. And taking some risks pays off more often than not.

Mobilising others (Resources)
Communication skills and social skills are the be-all and end-all in the business world. The better the skills, the more chances you get to mobilise organisations and people. When trying to broaden your range of work, having the right connections is half the battle. Spotting the right opportunities is a lot easier, when you have people who will help you with that and suggest your work to others. Building those bridges all over Tyrol, Austria and even Europe has been an integral part in the successful history of ProMedia which started more than 25 years ago. It led to the field of activity being expanded from traditional PR tasks to further responsibility in text, photography, graphics, animation, audio and video – all by constantly mobilising others and taking one step after the other.

Coping with uncertainty, ambiguity & risk (Into Action)
Having a broad field of activities also comes with certain difficulties. A lot of problems in different areas can occur while working on projects. The most important thing is to keep calm despite any uncertainty, ambiguity or risk and try working on solutions. This often means coming up with innovative ideas and thinking of new ways to interpret specific topics. Developing your own abilities by overcoming the obstacles in a creative way contributes to a personal and professional growth of the employees and therefore also the company itself. That way you lead your company to a prosperous future and earn the respect of your clients.

Author: Nemanja Sever (EICAA core staff), ProMedia Kommunikation Innsbruck

Further blog posts by ProMedia Kommunikation Innsbruck: The importance of broadening your horizon | Reshaping the future job market