Q&A: How Do We Implement Career Management as Part of Succession Planning?

How Do We Implement Career Management as Part of Succession Planning?
	We are implementing a career-management framework to groom future leaders. What methodologies or best practices provide a clear road map?—Not Sure Where to Go, skills coach, finance/insurance/real estate, Sydney, Australia
	Basing a career-management framework on proven methods is indeed effective. However, consider some key questions before delving into specific practices. What is the ultimate objective for implementing your new system? Do you want to deepen your leadership "bench strength" and develop emerging leaders? Are you aligning organizational roles and competencies with strategic business objectives? What are your future workforce demands ( i.e., critical employee roles and competencies)? What external factors (i.e., market conditions) might affect talent availability or a shift in your business objectives? The answers will help you create a customized strategic workforce plan based on both current and future business requirements. Implemented effectively, your planning will match job roles, competencies, HR systems and business objectives, as well as define leadership behaviors and robust succession management. Here is how you create a successful framework: Involve top leaders and gain their commitment to growing talent, model the behaviors considered instrumental to the organization, and encourage others to do likewise. Link business strategy to talent requirements so your organization can execute on its three- to five-year business plan. Identify talent gaps and address them, such as development opportunities and recruiting needs. This is an opportunity to connect with employees and managers and gauge their views on critical talent gaps and development needs. Depending on the size of your organization, it can be done through on-the-job observation, informal interviews, employee surveys, and/or focus groups. Use a variety of developmental activities including mentoring, coaching, job rotation, traditional educational programs and formalized feedback processes. Don't be afraid to try new approaches to development, including 360-feedback, special assignments, action learning and Web-based educational activities. Create enterprise-wide, formal employee development plans that dovetail with your performance management cycles. Formally identify and track high-potential employees' performance through partnerships with executives and managers. Form a structured, ongoing process of objective assessment and focused development, including direct feedback. Ensure that tools, development activities and HR systems are integrated with and support core and leadership competencies. Although this is not an exhaustive list of key best practices, following these suggestions will assist you in creating a framework of tools and systems that engender a sense of engagement and collaboration with every employee.   [SOURCE: Tameka B. Moss, Capital H Group, Waltham, Massachusetts, September 12, 2006.]