What follows is a summary of the criteria that govern promotions:

3 . An employee needs to meet two kinds of challenges, namely

1. Successful completion of tasks which are allocated to him/her, solving problems, making decisions, etc. at an individual level.

2. Presenting ideas and solutions to subordinates, peers, and superiors.

4 . At an individual level (3a), higher level positions in the career ladder call for a number of mental qualities:

1. Learning skills: the ability to learn new things fairly quickly (short learning curve); ability to master knowledge of a technical nature if the need arises.

2. Creativity/innovativeness: the ability to come up with ideas/ solutions.

3. Insight: the ability to understand the less obvious aspects of a situation, to grasp more than what is actually said.

4. Critical judgment: the ability to make reliable assessments, often involving domains outside one's area of specialisation.

5. Leadership: the ability to hold a team together.

6. Thinking skills: The ability to think clearly and act without panicking in an emergency.

7. Interpersonal skills : street savvy, "emotional intelligence".

8. Well rounded education, not narrow specialisation.

5. The "front room" tasks (i.e. those that involve interaction with people) require the following abilities:

1. Communication: the ability to express ideas/solutions in a simple, clear, precise, concise manner. (skills of exposition)

2. Persuasiveness: : the ability to sell the ideas/solutions, which involves:

   1. making a case for one's ideas,

   2. showing that these are better than their alternatives.

   (skills of argumentation)

3. Quick thinking: the ability to deal with questions: quick processing of questions, quick decisions about how to deal with them, and effective response to questions.

4. Personal/social intelligence: the ability to sense the audience reaction and respond accordingly, not putting down the comments from peers, etc. (The "emotional intelligence" of the employee)

5. Personal charisma