Wow! What a start to 2017! A year dubbed to be quiet and inactive, and in which one could expect to be slow out of the blocks in the first few months following on from the festive season.
Coming into election years, there is that added degree of uncertainty about what is to come. In previous years, this has translated to a bit of a lull in business activity as business and operation expansions are put on hold.
So far, that assumption just hasn’t held up. Q1 2017 for Peopleconnexion has gone against the grain and has been bustling with activity.
As we envision the country’s future and assess how we want it to look, our clients are doing the same within their companies. Even in times of uncertainty, it is so important for organisations to be building their bench-strength and putting strategic plans into place to allow them to thrive. There will always be a time and a place to improve and grow a business ? yes, even in 2017.
This commitment to strengthening organisations is not isolated to just one industry.
Inset is a snapshot of our recruitment activity across the country in quarter 1 across multiple disciplines in Executive, HR, Doc Control, Contract Admin, Legal, Finance & Admin, Medical, QA, Sales/Marketing, Special Projects, Community/Public Affairs, IT, PR/Communications, Technical/Trades, Property, Civil/Mechanical Engineering, HSE, Aviation/Transport.
One of the key trends we are witnessing is a more proactive approach to succession planning and ensuring the right people are on board before post-election 2017. The conversations I’ve had over the past few months have reaffirmed the value in this future-focused line of thinking.
How can you identify candidates for your succession plan?
The aim of this exercise is to identify the high-performers in your organisation that can be incorporated into your existing succession plans.
Start by drawing up a matrix with past performance on one axis and future potential on the other. Draw 2 vertical lines and two horizontal lines across your matrix so you have a grid with nine boxes in total. See an example of this matrix below:
Using this matrix, you can rank your employees? suitability for inclusion in your succession plan and future leadership positions.
Upon completing this exercise, reflect carefully on the results:
Did you identify any employees you may not have previously considered in succession planning? If an employee is only currently achieving an average level of performance or potential, do they know the steps they need to take to improve?
In our experience, the key to developing the high-performers in teams is to find the missing link ? a leader who can mentor them. At any level, these key employees can utilise their outside experience to bring a fresh set of eyes to challenges, and encourage others to do the same.
Now is the time to start setting strategic plans in place and invest in talent early to prepare for heightened business activity after the election.
If you are preparing to enhance your team or strategically plan your workforce in preparation for the remainder of 2017 and beyond, please contact me via stephen@peopleconnexion.com