Leadership Development Plan Essential for Organizational Success

NACS HR Forum dives into why’s and how’s of creating a strong leadership pipeline.

March 06, 2015

NEW ORLEANS – Day two of the NACS HR Forum delved into a key issue for human resources professionals: leadership development. From creating a succession plan at the highest levels of the organization, to nurturing talented employees and creating a pipeline of high-potential team members, HR professionals play an essential role in leading this crucial effort.

According to HR Forum facilitator Terry McKenna, principal and co-founder of Employee Performance Strategies Inc., when asked, “What might derail your company’s growth or even threaten its survival?” 81% of executives interviewed said the sudden loss of an employee. Despite such a clear importance placed on having a succession, a majority of HR Forum attendees acknowledged that their organization does not have succession plans or strong leadership development programs in place.

McKenna explained that while it is primarily the owner’s responsibility to develop a succession plan, it is HR’s responsibility to own the process. HR professionals must develop and expand their role to be seen as strategic partners, by developing a firm grasp on all areas of the organization’s strategic plan, speaking the same language as owners and C-suite executives, and clearly conveying their role in achieving the bottom line.

Building a leadership pipeline throughout the organization, from CEO down to cashier, can be an admittedly daunting process, but small steps can build momentum. The first step for many companies is to develop a system for identifying high-potential employees. Forum attendees shared several strategies to accomplish this, from tracking employees who request tuition reimbursement, to asking specific questions on performance reviews, to simply getting to better know employees at all levels to find out where their strengths may lie. “To be successful, everyone in leadership at the organization must own leadership development,” emphasized McKenna.

Other topics covered during the HR Forum’s second day were an in-depth review of new federal employment laws, by Steve Bernstein of labor law firm Fisher & Phillips, including updates on the latest labor-related cases heard by the Supreme Court, new investigation methods used by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, national and local trends in paid-leave policies and anti-workplace bullying laws, as well as criminal background check policies. Bernstein ended his presentation by engaging attendees in a rousing game of “Employment Law Jeopardy.” Laurie McIntosh, of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), also joined the group to talk about a new HR certification being offered by the organization.

Forum attendees also heard from their peers, who presented two “Best Ideas” case studies. Karla Shugart, HR Business Partner for the Choctaw Nation Travel Plaza, shared several samples of company-wide forms she has developed to clearly explain hiring process guidelines to create consistency in processing deadlines for I9 submissions, required job applicant documentation and more. Casey’s Vice President of Human Resources Cindi Summers shared best practices from the company’s successful outreach to military and veterans. Casey’s now employs more than 1,200 veterans, a hiring effort that has also extended to the larger military community through fundraising and community service, resulting in not only gaining a very successful group of employees but also invaluable community goodwill.

The NACS HR Forum took place March 3 to 5 in New Orleans. For more on the issues covered on day one of the HR Forum, read the NACS Daily article here and keep an eye out for expanded coverage in the April issue of NACS Magazine.

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