Once you determine the real and the ideal, look at the discrepancies between them. Notice the problems that interrupt the smooth operation and productivity of some tasks. After finding the size of the gap between the real and ideal, decide whether you need to make changes to reduce the gap. Any changes should meet four criteria: 1. 2. 3. 4. Be behaviorally specific: Specify what action to take Be measurable: Specify criteria or check- points for rating accomplishment of the goal Be  realistic  but  challenging:  Test  your ability but have at least a 50 percent chance of attainment Be time-phased: Show a time schedule or deadline^- for reaching the goal Action Planning Action planning involves four steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. Taking action steps Defining who will be taking the action Creating  a  time  schedule  with  dead- lines Listing skills needed attain the goal EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to accomplish and Equal opportunity is the practice of fair personnel  management  and  development.  It allows individual achievement, limited only by a person’s  aspirations,  abilities,  and  talents.  It provides for equal consideration and treatment within the laws based upon a person’s merit, fitness, and  capability, without  additional influence of race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. Navy personnel at all levels in the chain of command are responsible for carrying out equal opportunity. Navy policy directs that all military members and civilian employees will receive equal opportunity and treatment. You must support equal opportunity in all of your  day-to-day  supervisory  practices  and routines. That includes the areas of justice and discipline, training and advancement, duty assign- ments, communications, awards and recognition, and evaluations and promotions. You support equal opportunity when using the five leadership skill groups. LEADERSHIP SKILLS Through extensive research, the U.S. Navy identified a total of 16 leadership skills of superior performers. It then grouped these 16 skills under the following 5 basic areas of competence required of Navy leaders. To become an effective leader, you must recognize, understand, practice, and evaluate yourself based on the skills in each of these skill groups: • Concern for efficiency and effectiveness • Supervision • Leadership • Advising and counseling • Applying concepts to job situations Concern for Efficiency and Effectiveness You  show  concern  for  efficiency  and  ef- fectiveness by performing a task in the least wasteful manner (efficiency) to produce the intended   results   (effectiveness).   Superior performers use this skill group more often, in more situations, and with better results, than do average performers. When you use the concern for efficiency and effectiveness skill group, learn to use the following skills: 1. Set goals and performance standards. 2. Take initiative. Both of these skills affect your performance as an effective leader. SET GOALS AND PERFORMANCE STAN- DARDS. —Set goals and performance standards by taking the following steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. Establish specific work goals. Express  concern  for  standards  of  task performance. Revise goals to make them realistic. Set deadlines for task accomplishments. 2-6