Workforce Planning: A Journey in Optimism

We’ve been focusing on Workforce Planning which, in a nutshell,  is a process that ensures you have enough of the right people in the right positions doing the right things at the right times.  What our research shows is that organizations often fall in the trap of being too tactical or short-term focused when it comes to Workforce Planning.  Regardless of the industry, type of business, or size of the organization, it is easy to make this mistake.

I’m in a Leadership Collaborative group that is made up of professional services businesses.  We meet once a month, and often the topic of discussion leans toward staying strategic rather than being pulled in to the tactical day-to-day chaos that can rule one’s days (and nights!).  I know from my personal experience it takes extreme discipline to make the time to look out in the distance and blend my hopes and dreams with the obstacles and potential threats to our company’s success.

Based on projections, a significant talent gap could soon impact having enough of the right people in the right positions doing the right things at the right time.   Organizations not only have to project attrition, identify and retain the best talent, develop skills for today and tomorrow, but often this must happen simultaneously while re-engineering and reinventing themselves to meet the ever-evolving marketplace.

When you think about the skills that leaders must possess to do this well, beyond the obvious technical abilities, optimism comes to mind.  Leaders who prepare for the best possible outcome are willing to ask the tough questions:

• How do we hold the biggest dream possible for our organization’s ability to stay relevant and make a difference?
• How do we listen to what is needed from us now: financially, socially, and environmentally?
• How do we design a path that supports team members in maximizing their potential?
• How do we maintain the courage to confront the brutal truth so that we remain nimble and poised to face every potential road block?

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