This week the Wily Manager guys talk about how workplace demographics change everything. Quite likely, you are managing a workforce that is either over 50 or under 30. What’s going to happen when your older people start to retire, and you lose the benefit of their skills and experience? Join the discussion this week at Wily Manager.
Monday’s Tip: Build skills faster. Regardless of what business you’re in, if you can actively look for ways to build the capability of your organization faster, you’ll be much better positioned to compete.
Tuesday’s Tip: Build a “Talent Projection”. Know your normal turnover rate, and how many people you will lose to retirement in the next five years. Also understand how many more people you’ll need if your business is growing.
Wednesday’s Tip: Become a Capability Building Machine. Once you know how many new people you’ll need, come to grips with the fact you probably won’t be able to hire all these skills. Your best bet is to develop the required skills internally.
Thursday’s Tip: Insist Leaders be Coaches. You can bridge significant skill gaps by having every leader in the organization taking his/her role as a coach and a teacher seriously. You also need to hire and promote leaders who do this well.
Friday’s Tip: Don’t wait for HR. In a perfect world, HR would lead the charge for you. However, as a leader, you need to take the initiative to make the happen, and not wait for HR.