If Your Company Needs First Aid,
Don't Cry for Help.
March 30, 2010
In this month's 60-Second Email™, we discuss why it's essential that someone stand out from the crowd in your company.
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1 out of 2 large and medium size companies don't have enough qualified people to succeed, or replace, their current executives and managers.
1 out of 3 says they do. And the rest don't know (all of this from a recent survey by OI Partners). So in the end, 2 out of every 3 large and medium companies either don't have or don't know if they have enough people to succeed incumbents. I have no reason to believe it's any better for small companies either. But there's no reason that you or your firm (large, medium, or small) needs to be part of the 2 out of 3. Here's how to be in the 1 out of 3. At least, here's how to start, and we'll continue the discussion in our next 60-Second Email (TM). The first thing to do is look around your firm and ask yourself, "Who's leading the charge for people?" And don't just say "HR" because it stands for "Human Resources". Truly, what individual in your firm lives the importance of developing the company's people? I'm always impressed when I speak with CEOs and Presidents who make people a significant part of how they spend their time. When the person at the top is focused on it, the impact flows down throughout the organization. And the reverse is also true, when key people at the top of an organization aren't seriously concerned about the talent in their organization, that sentiment is usually felt throughout the organization as well. It reminds me of a first aid course I took years ago. The instructor drilled it into our heads that if ever you need help, you don't just call for help or say "We need help!" or "Call an ambulance!" Instead, you're supposed to get a specific person's attention, give them clear instructions, and get them to call for help. The moral of the story is: If everyone is responsible, no one is responsible. And no one calls for help. Nothing gets done. The "clinical" term is diffusion of responsibility. Likewise, if your firm needs help with developing its people or having enough potential successors to your incumbent managers and leaders, is someone in charge? Is someone responsible? Or is everyone in charge? Is there diffusion of responsibility? Bottom-line, someone needs to take the lead on this critical issue. If no one has yet to take the lead, how about you? |
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Who's passionate about developing people in your organization? And how do they demonstrate that? Visit our blog and share your examples with other readers.
You can access all of our 60-Second Emails™, including last month's issue, Lost Jobs Aren't the Problem. They're the Symptom, via this link. Until next month, |
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