Leadership Tip - Organizational Bench Strength

"The key to sustained competitive advantage in any industry is not size, image, or technology. It’s talent, particularly at the leadership level. Your organization’s future depends on its ability to identify, retain, and prepare a dependable “bench” -- its next generation of leaders – continuously”.- Dr. Robert W. Barner


Did you know that there were 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964? Also known as “baby boomers” many organizations are unprepared to lose this pool of talent.

According to Arlene Dohm, an economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, D.C. “Baby boomers are going to be retiring in droves starting with the end of this decade".

Have you identified and begun to develop future leaders? Do you have a succession plan in place? Think about your current talent pool. What would the impact be if they were no longer part of your organization?

Creating a plan to maintain leadership bench strength is essential to guarantee success.

The best way to begin the development process is by having regular discussions with each employee about their successes, strengths, needs, and aspirations. The Gallup Organization recommends a 3 step process:

-Start with individual career planning development
-Next is Succession planning analysis
-Last is group discussion and review

Ensure each employee has a written development plan and meet regularly (we suggest monthly) with each team member to review the progress against the plan. If you have identified an individual as a future member of your leadership team, verify they have the interest in that position.

Assuming you are aligned, assess the unique talents of that individual and update their development plan with actions that include maintaining their strengths and closing the gaps.

Next, begin to identify key positions and match the talents of suitable candidates with those positions and determine any further areas to be developed. Is cross training required? Would having a mentor help? Could having a coach speed up the development process?

Lastly, meet with your organization’s leadership team and review one another’s succession planning analyses. Agree on business strategies, directions, and critical positions, and identify actual names for those positions. The positions may not need to be filled now, but you will be building your bench strength and be positioned to act quickly should you find the need.

Leadership talent is one of the most critical needs of any organization. Development must be ongoing with progress occurring over time. As a leader committing to employee development, being a mentor, providing timely feedback, and engaging a coach as needed will ensure the success (and survival) of the organization.

Have you measured your organization's bench strength lately? If not, we recommend you do it today!

Sincerely,
Jan Mayer-Rodriguez and Michael W. Kublin
www.peopletekcoaching.com
Learning Leading Succeeding


“Organizations should diligently assess employees' talents,
capabilities, and fit for new roles . . . ”.
~ Guido M.J. de Koning