Use these 10 measures to gauge your leadership effectiveness. Rate your employees’ “willingness” by using a scale of Always, Sometimes, and Never.

1. My employees willingly embrace our organization’s vision, mission, and values.

2. My employees willingly accept changes in the team, office, or organization.

3. My employees willingly “go the extra mile” for me, the leader, or for our organization.

4. My employees willingly participate in extracurricular or non-work activities.

5. My employees willingly work together to reduce tension or conflicts.

6. My employees willingly work together to solve problems and improve processes.

7. My employees willingly work together to achieve team, office, or organizational goals.

8. My employees willingly work to improve unsatisfactory performance or continue satisfactory performance.

9. My employees willingly engage in training and development needed to improve or enhance performance.

10. My employees willingly follow rules, practices, and procedures that impact the success of our team, office, or organization.

Focus On What You Can Control

Of course, your ideal score is to have an answer of “Always” for all 10 measures. But that’s not always possible for various reasons. Some reasons may have to do with things that are out of your control (i.e. pay, resources, and work hours). Fortunately, you do have control over other things that have a positive influence on employees. These include behaviours you exhibit like being a positive role model, giving positive feedback, and treating employees fairly. Focus on what you “can” do, not on what you “cannot” do.

Leadership Effectiveness Is About Positive Influence

Whether you are a manager or supervisor, you have to lead. That means you have to do more than just “give” orders. You have to interact with employees in a way that motivates them to do their best. Sure, you may not have a positive influence on every employee, but you can on most. And while directing, controlling, and coordinating are important, these management behaviours don’t motivate employees to consistently and continuously deliver their Best Performance.

So the next time your employees are not doing what you need them to do; don’t look at how you are managing them, look at how you are leading them.

Barbara Brown, PhD shows managers how to improve employee performance by linking performance to results. She publishes handbooks that contain phrases for linking employee performance to workplace results. Handbook topics include Linking Time Management To Results, Linking Customer Service To Results, and others. Dr. Brown also offers E-Courses and E-Consulting as well as onsite training and consulting. Website: http://www.LinkToResults.net; Email: Barbara@LinkToResults.net

And now it’s the last day of the month and he wants to see you urgently.

No-one wants to be the victim of a process of such denial and manipulation. Most of us would not deliberately wish it on others. But if you are a manager and you do not confront poor performance amongst your people as soon as you become aware of it, you are denying them the opportunity to fix the problem, and you are guilty of dishonesty.

Ignoring poor performance has never been known to make it go away. The longer it is left, the more likely it is to get worse. While confronting poor performance is not an easy conversation, the steps below provide a framework to get you through it.

Use these seven steps to step up to conversations about poor performance.

1. Set the tone of the conversation. You want to help, not punish. Think through the best outcome for both you and for the employee. Ask yourself if there is any way in which you may be partly responsible for the problem. Were your instructions clear? Did the person have the resources to do the job?

2. Put the facts on the table. Be clear, specific, and honest. Use only as many facts as you need to make your case. Don’t overload the conversation with data or you will start to sound accusing.

3. Explain your concerns and the implications if things continue as they are. You need to put your opinion and feelings on the table to add impact to your case and to stress your determination that the situation must change.

4. Ask for the other person’s take on the situation. You must obtain their input if you are to get to the bottom of the problem.

5. Generate possible courses of action. Ask more than you tell. You are more likely to get commitment when the other person makes the suggestions. It can be useful to slow the conversation down at this stage so both of you can think through possible solutions carefully.

6. Agree how performance will be tracked and measured in the future. This is essential to convey how serious you are about solving the problem and that the situation must move forward.

7. Agree on a follow up date. Then stick to it! If the person has not behaved in the way that they committed to, plan the conversation using these same steps to make sure you identify and resolve the remaining problems.

Maureen Collins consults in the skills for handling difficult conversations on difficult topics with difficult people. She has a B.Sc. degree in Psychology from Edinburgh University and over 25 years of consulting experience. She specializes in communication skills in the business world such as getting the most out of a performance appraisal. Get free Straight Talk Tips. http://www.straight-talk.co.za

1: Relevant and meaningful purpose and goals

Teams that prosper need to have a clear purpose which is meaningful to them and matters to them. Additionally, they need to have goals that act as milestones or checkpoints along the way. Successful teams will be passionate and enthusiastic about what they want to achieve and will get behind a goal if it is meaningful. Ask yourself what the team is trying to create, the reputation it wants to have and the results it wants to achieve. As the leader, get clear on the role you want to play, your style of operating and how you want to be seen by your team.

2: Confidence and commitment building

As the leader of the team you need to build the confidence and commitment of individuals in the team. Part of your role here is to create an environment where people are encouraged and supported to take risks. How you respond to setbacks will be an excellent indicator of how well you do this. Another part is providing meaningful feedback on the good and not so good things.

3: Skill mix

In your capacity as team leader, you have a role to play in getting the right skills in place and then continually strengthening these skills. The team does not operate in a static environment so you need to adapt to changing circumstances. People will only adapt if they have the skills to do so.

4: Relationship management

The team you are leading might be totally motivated and be full of belief. However, you cannot expect that to be replicated throughout the organization. People will be envious and may even try to derail your efforts. It is important that you, as the team leader, create good relationships outside of the team and leverage these relationships to overcome obstacles.

5: Opportunity creation

As team leader you could decide to personally take all of the best opportunities that come up. Successful leaders know that it is important not just to think about their own situation but also to look at creating opportunities for others to learn, grow and develop.

6: Do the work

Teams are generally small in size so there is no space for people who distance themselves. Team leaders who are successful don’t sit in an ivory tower dishing out instructions. They get involved and do real work rather than watching in the wings.

Bottom line – By focusing on some key contributors you can make a step change in your performance as a team leader. So what’s your next step?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A) works with professionals, teams and organisations to develop their management and leadership capability. With 25 years business experience in a range of sectors, he understands firsthand the real challenges of managing and leading in the demanding business world. www.goalsandachievements.co.uk

For many around the United States that have experienced a good pizza, they are always round and cut into pretty much equal triangles so everyone else gets a similar piece. And more expressly you need to cut the pizza because not many can eat a large 16” round pizza.

With that in mind marketing works in the same fashion. Marketers cannot eat the whole pizza pie in other words cast messages to a large market – it is too much. It is always best to focus on a small piece to attract many consumers. Anyone in business today must realize whether they are in their own business such as chiropractic or consulting or they sell for a living, they must divide the market into smaller sections. The reason; it is always better to focus on a smaller section and cast a small net consumers hear you better.

Market segmentation as it is known is a systematic process of focusing on small areas of the pie so that businesses gain visibility and community. When there is a focus on a smaller market, the messages are meaningful and less diluted since they can focus specifically on the needs of the particular consumer. For example if your business is seeking to provide sales solutions to small business then it is important to focus demographically on the type, size, industry, revenue level and decision maker so that your appeal will go further. No business can be all things to all people so when you market to businesses that emulate your perfect client your marketing is more direct creating for you a better return on your investment.

So if you are not gaining the best success in your marketing efforts then think in terms of New York style pizza. First look at the whole pie and then slice accordingly and watch your investment soar.

Not sure how to segment your market then contact me know and I will send you a quick template and MP3 that shows you how. There is no obligation to do anything further. I might even treat you to some pizza if you are close by. -J

© 2012. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.

Responding to such pressures requires both a level head as well as the realization that it’s still true that the business of building a business, whether within a new or old economy, still requires sound management, good marketing, and most importantly, good people.

Jettisoning employees in financial tough times can very well result in losing industrious producers, top talent, long-time workers, and top managers. Such short-sightedness can be costly on many fronts. The cost of recruiting talented workers typically runs 70- 200% of their annual salaries. A loss of sales personnel can hurt a company’s bottom line. Lose front-line customer service people, and the customer might be penalized. A company doesn’t make profits. People do.

And because people DO make the profits, keeping solid employees has never been more critical. Lose the war NOW in talent, have your best folks jump ship to the competition, or cut too far, and you’ll be scrambling for the brainpower necessary when the economy turns around.

How do you win the talent war in times like these? The good news is that “show me the money” is not the primary reason people stay. A recent study of 4000 professional and clerical workers found that job satisfaction keeps more workers than pay levels alone. The survey found that only 6% of people who were satisfied with their jobs but unhappy with their pay plan to quit. The percentage jumps to 27% when they were dissatisfied with their jobs but happy with their pay! If they were unhappy with their pay as well as their job situation, the percentage of those ready to bail jumped to 41%!

The challenge: what makes for satisfaction? What do valued employees want? A two-year study by Dr. Beverly Kaye, author of Love’Em or Lose’Em, said what employees valued most is: career growth, learning and development; exciting work with consistent performance expectations, accountability and challenge; meaningful work (making a contribution), great people, being part of a team, good boss, recognition for a job well done, fun on the job, autonomy over work, work/life balance, and flexibility in areas such as work hours.

It’s easier to put the burden of retention on pay. Pay is easier and quicker. But investing money without investing in the relationship with employees garners little true commitment. Creating a culture for satisfaction takes time, prompts internal analysis, and leaves long-term positive results on the bottom line.

A manager’s style has much to do with retention. This skill set involves informal as well as formal recognition practices, interpersonal skill development between a manager and the employee, sharing power, and self-awareness of behaviours that disenfranchise employees.

An environmental focus for retention means that managers explore practices that encourage information sharing, alignment of values, and the creation of a workplace where laughter and joy are present. Turn a light on your management practices and see if you’re winning the talent war. Retool, retrain and you will retain!

Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100 companies and individuals create connections that count and conversations that matter. Visit www.eileenmcdargh.com for more information.

Although this has always been true, what’s changed, however, is the way people are led. Gone are the days when leaders could be — indeed, were expected to be — aloof and unapproachable, handing out orders from on high like some sort of demigod. Because of revolutionary transformations in the business world, the traditional relationships between employees and employers have changed.

Leaders today must see their direct reports as partners, not underlings. Successful leaders will work hard to build meaningful relationships with the people who work under them. Ideally, these bonds will be open, honest, respectful and multidirectional.

Managers of knowledge workers (that is, people who know more about what they do than those above them) must be good partners. They won’t have a choice! If they are not great partners, they won’t have great people.

What are the implications of all of this for talent managers? Well, they have to cultivate the following communicative behaviours in the leadership tier of their organizations, as well as in themselves.

Active Listening

The thing about listening that escapes most people is they think of it as a passive activity. It doesn’t require any real effort on their part – they just sit there and hear someone talking. Of course, this is all wrong. Good listeners consider what they do an active process.

There are three things all good listeners do, all of which relate to one another. First, they think before they respond. Second, they listen with respect. Finally, they always evaluate their reply against the question, “Is it worth it?” If you can master these, you can be an effective listener.

Expressing Gratitude

Thanking someone for a job well done is important because it conveys one of our most basic and valuable emotions: gratitude. This is a genuine and complex feeling, not some meaningless abstraction. Gratitude is either felt, or it isn’t – it cannot be expected or exacted.

When someone does something nice for you, they expect gratitude, and they think less of you for withholding it. Think about it. If you gave a gift to someone who didn’t subsequently express authentic appreciation somehow, how would you feel about that person?

Here’s an exercise to get you started: Think about who has helped you progress in your career and write down the names of 25 people who are most responsible for your success. Then ask yourself whether you’ve really expressed gratitude to these individuals for their counsel and support. Before you do anything else, write each of them a thank-you note.

This isn’t just some exercise to make you feel better about yourself. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s humbling because it shows you how many people you owe for your professional achievements. Similarly, you should thank employees who make you look good with their numerous accomplishments.

Getting Feedback (and “Feed Forward!”)

Leaders often don’t want to hear negative feedback, and employees don’t always want to give it to them. People in high-level positions are sometimes nearly delusional about their achievements and don’t want any negative responses to slip through their mental filters. But feedback is key to understanding who we really are. People need to possess the capacity to change – that’s a fact of survival. But if they don’t get feedback, they won’t know when, why and how they should adapt to shifting circumstances.

Once you’ve received feedback, you should proceed to “feed forward.” This is a four-step process, which breaks down as follows:

1. Pick a behaviour you need to change.
2. Discuss this objective with anyone who knows you well.
3. Ask the person for two suggestions to help you change.
4. Listen attentively to the suggestions.

Then, of course, be sure to thank them.

The challenge of leadership is growing. Many traditional qualities such as integrity, vision and self-confidence are still needed. But building partnerships is becoming a requirement, not an option, for future leaders.

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, best-selling author and world authority in helping successful leaders get even better. His latest book, MOJO, is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal top ten best seller. In November 2009, he was recognized as one of the 15 most influential business thinkers in the world in the bi-annual study sponsored by The (London) Times and Forbes. Contact him at Marshall@MarshallGoldsmith.com.

No matter how great the company or the job is, no one willingly follows someone for long who is guilty of the seven deadly sins of leadership:

Killer #1: EGOTISM

“It’s all about me” – my ideas, my way, what’s good for me. A head so big that no hat fits it properly, and when things go wrong or a mistake is made say, “Why are you doing this to ME?”

People will walk away if their boss’ arrogance, self-serving interests and constant need to take credit for the good work of others kill their interest and enthusiasm.

Killer #2: INSENSITIVITY

Total indifference to the feelings of others. Clueless about how what you say or the decisions you make in the business affect others or impact their work or lives. Expecting people to “get over it”, and when they start complaining or try to explain their concerns…”Quit whining; if you don’t like it, LEAVE!”

People will walk away if their boss’ failure to consider their feedback and lack of empathy about what it would feel like to be hit with something unexpected kills the heart they used to put into their work.

Killer #3: UNBELIEVABILITY

Total lack of credibility. No one believes you know what you’re doing or that you’re capable of telling them the whole story; and when yet another promise is made that they know will be broken, eyes roll, “Yeah, RIGHT.”

People will walk away if their boss’ failure to inspire belief makes them wary of every decision and kills their willingness to “just trust me on this.”

Killer #4: MISTRUST

Looking for hidden agendas. Second-guessing the motives and decisions of experienced people; needlessly worrying about your own back and micromanaging others until they finally tell you to get off theirs.

People will walk away if their boss’ failure to trust them to do what they know how to do in ways that are in the best interests of the company kills their initiative and makes them into dispassionate robots just filling time doing exactly what they’re told to do.

Killer #5: INDECISION

Putting off a decision because of uncertainty about what to do. Vacillation, procrastination — just decide SOMETHING!

People will walk away if their boss’ inability to decide one way or the other and stick to it causes confusion and frustration about what’s next, and kills any hope of forward progress.

Killer #6: NEGATIVITY

Constant naysayer. No matter what anybody says or does, it isn’t right. The glass is ALWAYS half-empty and the sky is ALWAYS falling, and when something doesn’t turn out… “See, I TOLD you it wouldn’t work!”

People will walk away if their boss’ consistently black mood would wipe the smile off Pollyanna; it kills their desire and motivation to turn problems into opportunities.

Killer #7: PURPOSELESSNESS

Lack of focus. Distracted. Confusing activity with results. Aimless decision-making. Trying too hard to be everything to every customer and not doing any of it very well.

People will walk away if their boss’ lack of vision and clarity about the organization’s purpose and goals has them confused and kills their willingness to get behind and follow.

People don’t leave companies; they leave bosses who confuse title for real leadership. Think about it…haven’t you left a good job for the same reason? If you need great people to help your business grow and thrive, then it’s a good idea to learn how to avoid committing these deadly leadership sins.

Marilyn Lustgarten, executive coach and president of The Star Makers Group, works with leaders in good companies that want to be great! She also speaks and writes on leadership issues and organizational transformation. Contact her at www.starmakersgroup.com.

2008 The Star Makers Group, LLC All rights reserved.

It takes great customer service to win and it takes great people management to make this happen.

In my previous blogs I have advocated the importance of People in winning through great customer service and a truly memorably and binding customer experience. Along the same lines, I would like you to think about what DigiCert VP Flavio Martins blogged so aptly on B2C:

“As soon as the customer walks into the store, reaches your Web site, calls your company, a friendly greeting from any (real, live, human) employee will make the customer feel welcomed.

Without even thinking about it, the customers begins to rate in their head, how they are being treated. If the feeling is good, the wallets are open. If customers feel uneasy, you’ll need a crowbar to open their wallets.

It is also vital for the customer to feel relaxed when deciding to buy a product and not pressured. Feeling pressured will drive away the customer. You may make the sale with a high-pressure approach, but don’t expect them to come back.

The overall atmosphere and the personal connection of employees with your customers is what binds the customer to your brand. It’s this combination that makes an exceptional customer experience. And it starts from the management team, to the sales team, the developers or merchandizing, and ends with your front line team who interact with customers day to day.”

Hiring Right Is Key

My deeply held conviction is that if you want to win based on customer service and experience, everybody in the organization needs to have a strong aptitude to service. This is totally irrespective of role and function. If you are not serving a paying customer, then you are serving an internal customer. You may recall that Tom Peters said a long time ago that if you don’t have a customer to serve in your job or don’t know who this is, you should begin to worry about your job. A fundamental truth then, and even more so now!

I am therefore advocating that we learn from the excellent companies by formally selecting people on their service aptitude. After all, technical skills can be trained but aptitude cannot.

Specifically, I recommend considering the use of simple but proven testing tools to ensure that each and every applicant who gets interviewed first passes a pre-set hurdle. Yes, I mean indeed that you should not even interview a person that is not “right” for your service culture!

Such a selection approach needs to be wrapped in messaging to explain the importance of your culture and sustaining it. Candidates should also receive their test results, so that this is a win-win.   In the U.S. this approach may be legally a bit more tricky than in other countries, but this is definitely manageable.

My second recommendation is to engage in team hiring practices and only hire based on broad consensus.

This approach is admittedly more laborious than the traditional process, but the business value of hiring right throughout the entire organization is immeasurable. It is a key ingredient of creating a winning customer-focus culture.

Eric Fraterman is a Customer-Focus Consultant with a wide and deep experience in more than twenty industries and six countries over 25 years. He helps organizations create a Customer-Focus advantage for gaining and retaining business through exceptional customer service and experience.

He can be reached at Eric@CustomerFocusConsult.com .

Websites: www.CustomerFocusConsult.com      www.CustomerExperienceWorkshop.net

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/440216ericfraterman

There are reasons why many struggle with what to say to prospective clients:

• They are uncertain what to say
• They have not practiced the proper approach
• They try to say something different each time
• There is no consistency with the brand

There is a solution to this issue and it is called the MEME (sounds like team). So what is this incredible tool?

A meme is an idea, behavior, style or message else that enters into your community and creates additional community and interest. Different from the way it is spelled a MEME does not create anything about you, however it does create output based messages that illustrate the value and benefits clients get from doing business with you.

If you follow a template I will share with you, you can use it to generate eye opening and memorable methods for clients to become attracted to you.

• A meme can be used for:
• Introduction to verbal conversations
• Developed into a value proposition for your website
• Developed into a tagline for marketing collateral
• Used to introduce products and services
• Incorporated into presentations and articles/tip sheets

Because your MEME illustrates the value you will need to use it to help communicate your brand and create the allure you desire for your business. Yet the best part of this is once it is developed you can use it throughout your integrated marketing communications.

So what does a MEME sound like?

Here is a MEME from one of my clients. “Hi nice to meet you. I am Dr. Ron and I work with men and women aged 37 to 55 who suffer from the ill effects of stress. I provide a unique process that reduces stress and provides increased mobility and flexibility!” Naturally the next statement you will hear is, “My Gosh how do you do that?”

Now how does that sound versus the rote, “Hi I’m Ron, I’m A Doctor.” Or , “Hi I’m Ron, I’m in Insurance.” Or , “Hi I’m Ron. I’m and Electrician.” Not to say there is anything wrong with these professions but there is something wrong in the delivery. One they’re boring. Two you sound like everyone else. Three it is stereotyped so that people instantly dismiss you and four, it is inward focused and says nothing of what you provide to the client.

Here are 7 things you can to do help develop a MEME:

1. Focus on the clients you want to provide and most importantly your perfect client. Who is the demographic and what do they value and benefit from? What are the solutions that you provide congruent with those desires.
2. Write down a list of benefits that you provide clients. Think about how you help them. Review your testimonials to help you here. When you come up with the list prioritize it so that you develop the best one.
3. Think of the three to four issues your clients have to say before you helped them. What do you typically hear before you develop solutions.
4. When you work with clients what are you processes, methods, steps etc that can be used to explain how you help. For example do you have a 7 step strategy or a 4 step proprietary choke hold, you get the picture.
5. Now look at your notes and write out your statement using the following, Target Demographic + Issue + Solution. Develop a few drafts so that eventually it rolls of your tongue. And to assist you make it two to three short sentences.
6. Practice this on friends and family as well as some other clients to see what they have to say.
7. Once you have this developed then I want you to think about two things 1) what you will say after they say tell me more and 2) develop a call to action.

Creating a compelling a MEME is a vital part of the Business Acceleration System. How is yours coming along?

© 2011. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.
Drew Stevens PhD works with organizations that struggle with productivity that effects profits. Dr. Drew works with senior officers and their direction reports to dramatically increase relationships that build higher morale. He can be reached through his website at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com

One of the Top 50 Sales Management Bloggers in the World as Ranked by Blog Rank and Sales Crunch

Les organisations ont besoin d’une marche à suivre systématique afin de ne pas recourir au hasard pour déterminer leur futur. En clair, il faut un processus qui fournisse les données objectives indispensables à la prise des décisions de succession et à la prévention des erreurs couteuses. Déterminer quels meneurs sont prêts à être promus et, identifier les forces et faiblesses de chacun avant de décider d’une promotion, aidera la compagnie à établir un plan de succession et un calendrier clairs pour permettre aux individus de développer les compétences et de gagner l’expérience dont ils ont besoin pour avancer dans l’organisation. L’étape suivante consiste à capitaliser sur les bénéfices futurs, vous s’assurant par la même la confiance des parties prenantes qui savent que vous promouvez les candidats les plus qualifiés.

La vague actuelle de baby-boomers qui prennent leur retraite est une « crise tranquille » à laquelle les compagnies intelligentes répondent en créant des approches disciplinées pour gérer leur futur. Lorsque les circonstances rendent un changement nécessaire, les organisations devraient être prêtes avec un bassin de candidats et un plan clair pour combler les besoins actuels et futurs. Comme le disait Winston Churchill : « Que nos soucis d’avance deviennent notre réflexion et notre planification d’avance».

Qu’est ce que la planification de succession et qui en a besoin?

La planification de la succession est l’effort délibéré et systématique qui garantit la continuité du leadership. Elle permet de constituer un bassin de candidats qualifiés pour les emplois clés actuels et futurs, ce qui permet de gérer les carrières pour optimiser les besoins de l’organisation et les aspirations des individus. C’est un plan d’action pour identifier les talents dans l’organisation en entier, qui comprend la sélection d’employés pour remplacer les directeurs qui quitteront l’entreprise que ce soit pour des raisons personnelles, leur retraite, suite à un changement de poste ou un licenciement.

Lorsque la planification de la succession est effectuée correctement, elle permet de mettre en place la stratégie d’affaire et d’atteindre les buts organisationnels, tout en minimisant les perturbations qui accompagnent souvent les changements de personnel. C’est une préparation aux responsabilités présentes et futures qui ne devrait cependant pas être un système de promotion automatique. C’est plutôt une très bonne façon de maximiser le capital humain, maintenant et dans l’avenir, parce qu’elle permet de créer un plan qui focalise l’attention sur les talents. Vos gestionnaires se plaignent-ils que personne n’est prêt à prendre les postes qui deviennent vacants? Les dépenses de recherches externes sont-elles en croissance constante ? Les possibles successeurs à des postes clés quittent-ils la compagnie parce qu’ils ne voient aucune possibilité d’avancement ? Si vous avez répondu « oui » à l’une de ces questions, cela signifie que votre entreprise n’a pas établi, ou communiqué correctement, ses plans d’avenir pour ses employés, concernant le remplacement de ceux qui occupent des postes clés et pour développer les gens à fort potentiel d’avancement.

Bien que ce ne soit pas la même chose que la planification de succession, la gestion des remplacements peut être un premier pas dans la bonne direction. Il n’est pas très difficile de convaincre les décisionnaires de créer un plan en cas de catastrophe, au cas où un individu d’importance mourrait soudainement. Cependant, avoir des remplaçants n’est pas suffisant, car cela ne concerne habituellement que les personnes au sommet de l‘organisation ; et ne prépare pas les gens à l’avancement.

La planification de succession est un moyen de créer un bassin de leaders potentiels, de sorte que les individus à fort potentiel se préparent pour une promotion à n’importe quel niveau de l’organisation, et afin que la compagnie ait des remplaçants pour tous les postes clés. C’est une façon de combler les besoins en talent de l’organisation à long terme, en commençant par la tache parfois effrayante de promouvoir quelqu’un au plus haut poste, celui de président du directoire.

Environ 40% des nouveaux présidents échouent dans les dix-huit premiers mois. Ce chiffre très élevé, ajouté au fait qu’un nombre très élevé de présidents approchent l’âge de la retraite, signifie qu’il y a un besoin sans précédent de planifier le futur des compagnies. Clairement, qu’ils soient poussés de coté pour cause d’échec, ou qu’ils prennent leur retraite, les présidents quittent les organisations, et trop de compagnies n’ont pas de plan bien réfléchi pour les remplacer par des candidats internes.

Pourquoi cela a-t-il de l’importance? D’abord, parce que votre compagnie aura du mal à retenir ses talents si ceux qui occupent les postes clés sentent qu’ils n’ont aucun espoir d’avancement. De plus, la perception que personne n’est prêt pour combler les postes vacants contribue au sentiment d’insécurité des employés et des autres parties prenantes. Garder vos talents dépend d’une initiative de leadership bien définie : la composition de votre bassin de candidats compétents (ces excellents employés à qui vous avez donné toutes les opportunités d’atteindre leur plein potentiel).

Deuxièmement, les compagnies sont souvent mieux servies par les candidats internes. Votre entreprise a donc plus avantage à cultiver ses propres talents qu’à chercher ailleurs. Lorsqu’un remplacement devient nécessaire, les décisionnaires peuvent choisir parmi les candidats internes qu’ils ont pris le temps d’observer, d’évaluer et de développer, mais seulement si ces candidats ont reçu des taches qui leur ont permis de développer leurs capacités et d’étendre leurs connaissances sur une certaine durée.

Pour commencer

Quel est le bon moment pour commencer un plan de succession? C’est maintenant ! Il se peut que commencer cinq ou même dix ans avant la date pressentie de départ du président et d’autres meneurs clés, soit trop tard. Des impondérables peuvent contrer vos plans les mieux préparés, et votre compagnie se retrouvera face à une véritable crise.

Quelle que soit votre situation actuelle, voici ce que vous pouvez faire pour commencer votre plan stratégique pour réussir :

• Clarifier les attentes du plan stratégique. Qu’attendent le président et les membres du directoire de chaque niveau de l’organisation ?
• Etablissez la liste des compétences de chaque poste clé. Quels sont l’expérience, les compétences, connaissances et traits de caractère requis pour une performance exemplaire ? La capacité à penser de façon stratégique, à analyser les problèmes, à obtenir des résultats, à mener, à créer une atmosphère propice au travail d’équipe, à développer des relations personnelles, à développer les gens et à avoir un comportement éthique, sont toutes cruciales. L’absence d’une de ces capacités est habituellement fatale à un directeur.
• Recueillez les données nécessaires sur les employés et découvrez les carences. L’un des avantages de commencer le processus de planification de la succession de bonne heure est que cela vous laisse le temps d’assimiler ces données. Si une urgence survenait et qu’il devenait nécessaire de combler un poste devenu vacant, cet avantage serait perdu. Il est donc souhaitable de recueillir des informations sur chaque personne (concernant ses études, antécédents de travail, revues de performance, aspirations, niveau de compétence, capacité à résoudre les problèmes, potentiel de développement, forces, faiblesses à améliorer impérativement et capacités de meneur) avant que vous n’ayez à prendre une décision de succession.
• Une fois que vous disposez de toutes les informations disponibles, séparez les compétences et capacités qui peuvent être apprises de celles qui ne peuvent pas l’être. Les techniques de formation et d’encadrement, la capacité à déléguer, à communiquer, et à gérer les performances peuvent être apprises ou améliorées, à condition que l’individu soit désireux de s’impliquer et de faire le travail nécessaire pour s’améliorer. Par contre, le potentiel d’apprentissage, la capacité à prendre des décisions, à résoudre les problèmes, à penser de façon critique ou abstraite, la créativité, et la planification stratégique sont toutes difficiles à développer une fois qu’une personne a atteint l’âge adulte.
• Analysez la volonté des candidats internes d’identifier leurs carences actuelles et celles qui apparaitront sans doute dans l’avenir. Recrutez à l‘extérieur si vous réalisez que vous ne pouvez préparer aucun candidat interne à temps. Cela vous en coutera surement à court terme, mais à long terme, avoir une personne prête pour un poste clé peut rapporter gros.
• Formez et développez vos candidats à fort potentiel.