Batter Up! Prepping Your Team to be On Deck

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“In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets the
opportunity to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing.” – Hank Aaron

“Batter up!” Baseball is in full swing and so is succession planning. Are you building your bench strength?  If not, START. 

Easy to say, but where do you begin? One key element is learning and development for your current team.

Employees STAY when they feel an organization is invested and investing in them. LinkedIn’s 2018 Workforce Learning Report LinkedIn’s 2018 Workforce Learning Report found that 93% of respondents would remain at a company longer if it invested in their career. LinkedIn Learning’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report LinkedIn Learning’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report confirms that this trend still holds true. Gen Z employees especially place a high value on learning in the workplace, and the associated career growth.  

The 2023 report takes this even further: “Internal mobility boosts retention and builds workforce skills. Highlighting career paths based on organizational goals is both people-centric and business-centric. Helping people make an internal move boosts retention. And by expanding people’s networks and skills, internal mobility naturally creates more organizational agility.”

It's a no-brainer to align your people strategy with your organizational strategy. Agile employees lead to agile organizations, those that can not only survive, but thrive when faced with economic head-wins, competitive pressure, and black swan macroenvironmental challenges. 

Upskilling your current employees sends a message that you value them and want them to grow with the organization. This can be done on a personal level through mentorship programs and cross-functional networking opportunities, or formally through the performance appraisal and feedback processes, 360 reviews, and even skills assessments. Helping your team build both hard and soft skills will build their agility and prepare them for the next opportunity. You can also provide project assignments that stretch them.

Just like we don’t know when our best short-stop will get injured, we don’t always know when people will leave, but we do know we need to be prepared. Identify the next wave of leaders and work to prepare them for their next role. Invest in them by helping them build their skills, and by creating a culture of constant learning. As a result, you can have confidence that promotion transitions will go smoothly. This is known as “Key Position Readiness.”  Develop your team by giving them practice pitching and hitting so they, too, can take their best swing when the opportunity comes.  You, and your organization, will hit a home run. 

  

 

Desiree Grace is a coach, advisor, consultant, and mentor with 30+ years as a senior leader in the electrical distribution and manufacturing sectors. She builds brands, grows revenue and motivates teams, facilitates strategy and execution, and offers special expertise in helping offshore companies enter the North American market. An experienced professional who enables win-win outcomes for organizations and their partners, find her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/desireecgrace.


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