Transcript Slide 1

The Future of Your Department:
Planning for Tomorrow
Massachusetts Parks and
Recreation Association
Annual Conference,
Hyannis MA
Chris Nunes, CPREThe Woodlands Township, Texas
Before we start………
• Why are you at this
session?
• What does succession
planning mean to
you/your agency?
Session Objectives
• Describe the need for and the tools to
implement a succession plan
• Identify competencies needed for parks
and recreation professionals
• Discuss ideas for employee development
to implement in their own agencies
Session Overview
• What is Succession
Planning?
• Need for Succession
Planning
• Succession Plan Steps
– Understand Development
needs
– Identify Potential
Successors
– Develop and Train
Successors
– Promote and Compensate
Succession Plan
• Why Isn’t Succession Planning
More Common?
– Time consuming
– Important, but not urgent
– No immediate results
– Resistance from managers
and directors (threatened)
– Political instability
– Mentality that employees are
short-term
Succession Plan
• Why Succession Planning SHOULD be a
Common Practice
– Turnover will always create vacancies
– High preforming employees will seek more attractive
opportunities
– Limited talent pool
– Opportunity to identify potential leaders and groom
them for advancement/Build bench strength
– Generational issues between workforce
– Helps the organization prepare for the future
Succession Plan
Succession Planning Defined:
Identifying and preparing suitable
employees through training and
mentoring to assume key positions
within the organization.
Find them, train them, mentor them, and keep
them……..
Need for Succession
Planning
• Retirement
– 83 million boomers
• 1946-1964
– 90 million boomers by 2025
– 30-50% of seasoned
professionals ready to
retire
• Economy
• 60% of companies don’t
know what they will do
about this-YIKES!!
Need for Succession
Planning
• Generation X
– 35-44 years old
– 64 million strong but
smaller than the Baby
Boomers
– Void of knowledge,
leadership, skills, and
abilities.
• Generation Y-Double the
size of Generation X
• Where do you focus the
time and effort?
Need for Succession
Planning
• Why people leave?
– 53% seek better
compensation and
benefits.
– 35% cited dissatisfaction
with potential career
development.
– 32% said they were
ready for a new
experience.
Succession Plan
• Why Plan?
– Identify expected
vacancies
– Prevent knowledge drain
– Preparation for new
leadership
– Identify workforce
development needs
– Ready to fill vacated
positions without wasting
resources
Succession Plan
Succession Plans
• Long-term: 12-36
months
• Focus on future
leadership
• Develops leaders
capable of filling
multiple assignments
Replacement Plans
• Short term: 0-12
months
• Focus on immediate
needs
• Develops back-up staff
for key positions
Succession Plan
• Goals of a Succession Plan
– Improved retention and
employee satisfaction
– Enhanced commitment of
exceptional employees
– Stronger organization/long term
sustainability
– Organization can efficiently and
effectively function during a
search
– Assures continuity & a strong
organization for a new employee
Succession Planning
Steps
Step 1- Understand Development needs
Step 2- Identify Potential Successors
Step 3- Develop and Train Successors
Step 4- Promote and Compensate
Understand
Development Needs
• Map out competencies
and needs of
organization
• Assess competency
gap (organizations and
individuals) based on
mission, vision and
values of organization
Understand
Development Needs
• Competencies
– Skills - abilities
required to perform
the position
– Knowledge –
information required
for the position
– Characteristics –
attitudes, personality
factors or mental
traits needed
Understand Development
Needs
The
individual’s
competencies
The job’s
demands
Effective specific
actions or
behaviors
Model for
Effective
Performance
The
organizational
environment
BALANCE
Boyatzis (1982)
Understand Development
Needs
• Understanding Competencies Will
Provide For?
– Efficiency & Effectiveness
– Clarifying effective
performance requirements
– Align skills with strategic
direction
– Help organization become
“lean & mean”
– Hire right people
– Predict success of
employee
Understand Development
Needs
Job skills - Hard skills
• Strategic thinking
• Financial
• Resource Management
• Human Resources
• Planning
• Characteristics - soft skills
• Customer Service
• Interpersonal skills
• Creativity/Innovation
• People Management
•
Assess the competency gap
Understand Development
Needs
Characteristics
CEO
Middle
Mgmt.
Job Skills
Entr
y
Lev
el
Understand Development
Needs
• Common Competencies
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Communication skills
Customer service
Leadership & management principles
Creativity & innovation
Multi-tasking & time management
Flexible, adaptable, innovative, creative
Solve problems & make decisions
Networking
Comprehensive knowledge of the field
Understand
Development Needs
CEO
Middle
Mgr
Entry
level
Financial
Management
Understand
personnel
law
Manage
multiple
budgets
Hire &
supervise full
time staff
Develop
program
budget
Supervise
PT staff
Understand Development
Needs
• Develop a success
profile for key position’s
in the organization
– What competencies are
critical for each position?
– Select 2-3 people per
position to develop
Only 10% focus on positions
below executive level –
www.successionplanning101.com
Identify Potential
Successors
• What type of people are
we looking for?
– Do I have the right
people already in the
organization?
– Are these people in the
“right seats”?
– Are these people
committed to the
mission?
– Revert back to the
success profile.
Focus beyond just high
performers!!!!
Identify Potential
Successors
Generation
Ages
Attributes
Learning
Styles
Training
Style
Management
Style
Silent
Born before Like hierarchy and order
1946 (62-83) Comfortable with direct
leadership
Willing to climb the ladder
patiently
Difficult to adjust to change
1946- 1964 Believe in value of hard work
(43-61)
Value democratic work
environment
View work groups as social
groups
Seek to change institutions
1965-1977
Want to be cutting edge
(30-42)
Willing to break the rules
Adaptive to change and new
technology
1978-1990
Instant Generation
(18-29)
Tech Savvy
Limited employee loyalty
Upward mobility- no wait
Cynicism towards
organizations
Auditory
Data
Monologue
Classroom
Formal
Quite
Control
Authority
Thinkers
Visual
Metaphors
Dialogue
Roundtable
Relaxed
Planned
Cooperation
Competency
Doers
Kinesthetic
Sensory
Stories
Unplanned
Spontaneous
Interactive
Consensus
Creativity
Feelers
Kinesthetic
Sensory
Stories
Unplanned
Spontaneous
Interactive
Consensus
Creativity
Feelers
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Generation Y
Identify Potential
Successors
• Successor Trails
–
–
–
–
Soft and Hard Skills
Task-and results-oriented
Possesses people skills
Knows how to build
relationships
– Self-esteem
– Personal confidence
– Willingness to learn/change
What the previous director, superintendent, supervisor,
coordinator was……..may or may not be what you need…….
Identify Potential
Successors
• Where do I find them?
–
–
–
–
–
Home agency
Within City/County/Commission
Internships
Neighboring Agency/City
Non Profit’s (YMCA/JCC,
Chamber of Commerce,
Convention and Visitor Bureau)
– Program participants
– For profit agencies
– Other????
Identify Potential
Successors
Internal vs External Candidates?????
Advantages
• Provides rewards and
incentives for great
employees
• Cost effective
• Morale-boosting
• Institutional knowledge
Partially from Martinez-Purson, 2006
Disadvantages
• Organizational
inbreeding
• Possible infighting or
jockeying for position
• Heavy load on training
and development
Identify Potential
Successors
What are HiPo’s??
• HiPo’s are people who have
not hit a career plateau are
capable of advancing two or
more levels in the
profession and exceed
minimum job expectations.
• What are their Pro’s and
Con’s?
Develop & Train
Successors
•
•
•
•
Systematic effort
“Grow your own”
Exposure beyond division
Start early -On boarding and
orientation
• Hire for next position
• Peter Principle/Halo and
Horns
Develop & Train
Successors
Develop & Train
Successors
Orientation Packet
Develop and Train
Successors
• Simple Methods
– Lead by Example
– Provide them time
– Ask questions to staff to
develop them
– Provide timely and honest
feedback
• Hire tough
– Never lower standards just
to fill a position!
– Interview process
• Panel
• Group
Develop & Train
Successors
• Tools of the Trade– Performance Reviews
– Development Plan
– Conference Plan
– Mentoring
• Professional Development
– Develop your own
– Benchmarking skills
– Assessing the competency gap
• Hiring criteria & employee selection
– Tough interviews
– Who is involved with the selection???
Overall, create an organizational learning culture
Develop & Train Successors
• Performance Reviews
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–
–
–
360 review
Honesty
Professional Goal Setting
Ability to identity
weakness, strengths,
abilities, etc
– Outcome can be a
professional development
plan
Develop & Train
Successors
Develop & Train
Successors
Develop & Train
Successors
• Conference Plan
Creating an organizational learning culture
Develop & Train
Successors
• Mentoring/Coaching
– Formal or informal, same or
different organizations
– Builds organizational loyalty
– Customized “on the job”
development
– Inexpensive – primarily
“soft costs”
– NRPA Young
Professionals/Administrator
Develop & Train
Successors
Develop and Train
Successors
• Lunch and Learn
– Able to build knowledge
and common understanding
within an organization
– Offered to all employees
– Leadership Topics
• Leadership,
Communication, Decision
Making
– Job Interview Skills
• Resume, Interview, Cover
Letter
Develop and Train
Successors
• Hire tough
– Never lower
standards just to fill a
position!
– Be willing to wait time
to get your candidate
– Interview process
• Panel
• Group
• Staff
• Site Visits
Promote &
Compensate
• How to retain exceptional
employee’s
– Competitive salaries
– Competitive vacation and
holidays
– Tuition reimbursement
– Positive environment
– Enable a balance of work
& life
• Phased in retirements
• Flexible work schedules
Promote &
Compensate
• Retaining exceptional
employees
– Provide feedback
– Recognize success
– Provide opportunities to be
creative, express initiative
and make a difference
– Reputation breeds retention
– Provide the tools needed to
do the job
• Prepare them for advancement
– Provide information &
knowledge
– Mentoring
Final Thoughts!!!
• What are you doing?
(Standiford, 2004)
Final Thoughts!!!
• Model staff development by developing
yourself!
– Get out of your comfort zone
– Read 10 minutes a day
– Listen to people
– Set specific goals for yourself and your team
– Stay positive
– Give back—your legacy is what you leave
with others
(Standiford, 2004)
Final Thoughts!!!
• Thank You!!!!
Chris Nunes, CPRE, Ph.D.
Director of Parks and Recreation
The Woodlands Township
2801 Technology Forest Blvd
The Woodlands, TX 77381
[email protected]
281.210.3906