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“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
-Allen Saunders
You have plans for sales and plans for products and probably even plans for seating arrangements, but are you planning the future of your company? According to Software Advice, 62% of employees say working for a company with succession planning would make them feel “significantly more engaged,” and it’s not uncommon for companies to be missing an actual talent roadmap in place. This is a huge missed opportunity. Nevertheless, by having a handle on the personalities who are currently keeping your company moving, you can more easily and accurately develop a strategy for the future.
Clearly Define High Performers
You wouldn’t go into a business meeting without a distinct idea of what you are covering. Agendas keep things running smoothly and help the team focus on the same goals. When hiring or promoting, it is just as important to have as many bases covered as possible. Companies that struggle to hire first-choice candidates almost never have clearly defined high performer attitudes.
Along with a position’s key requirements, hiring managers should define personality traits that are important to a position. Of course, that’s far more difficult to nail down than “must be a great communicator and proficient in Excel.” With employee personality assessments, recruiting teams and hiring managers can see distinct workplace values and personality traits that have worked in the past. While you can’t hope to find a replica of the amazing design director, you can find someone who fills the needs that your team will be experiencing when he or she leaves.
Make Performance Reviews More Efficient
Performance reviews are a necessary evil. No one has time for them and no one really wants to take part, but when they are left undone, progress is sacrificed. Employees who are reviewed quarterly are 4 times more likely to score at the top of Deloitte’s Total Performance Index and companies who implement regular feedback have 15% lower turnover rates.
Companies who implement regular feedback have 15% lower turnover rates.
The problem is not the review, but the way in which reviews are handled. Employee assessments let employers and managers see first hand how an individual’s personality affects the type of critique and direction that will be most effective to their work. Additionally, a performance appraisal that adjusts based on the attitudes in the room, will create a better environment for conversation, inspiring employees to better communicate their goals and weaknesses. With this knowledge, managers can more clearly see potential career paths and identify possible leaders.
Teamwork that’s Everlasting
While employee assessments help leaders identify personality and work values at an individual level, they also can identify how those individuals can come together to create amazing teams. No matter what industry you are in or what line of work you specialize, chances are you will be placed on a team with co-workers. With 39% of employees worldwide expressing the need to up the collaboration in their organization, it’s something that should happen if it isn’t.
39% of employees worldwide express the need for more collaboration in their organization.
Looking back to the days of group projects, teamwork sometimes has a negative connotation. Fortunately, that connotation can take new direction when leaders know the people who make them up. Assessments allow you to see who meshes and who will struggle to accomplish a task together. With the science of aligning organizational goals with real world personalities, gone are the days of randomized numerical and alphabetical pairings of school days.
Let’s face it, people aren’t always suited for the positions in which they are placed. In fact, 46% of employees fail within 18 months of being hired. While it can’t be completely avoided, developing a plan of action in the case that an employee moves on is necessary to both your organization and sanity. The future of your company depends on these hiring and promoting decisions, which is why succession planning has been such a hot button topic. Many employees value stability and are investing in employee development now.
46% of employees fail within 18 months of being hired. Read about ways to prevent this:
The right talent management software can help you align organizational goals with your existing workforce and track and manage performance to identify employees who are suitable successors. Improve your employee lifecycle with a succession plan that considers all aspects of your talent lifecycle by using one complete system. Sign up for a ClearCompany demo today to get started.
Still not convinced our talent management expertise can assist in succession planning? Check out more insight from our team:
