What are the most effective talent and succession planning strategies?

1 Identify your current and future talent needs

The first step in any talent and succession planning strategy is to assess your current and future talent needs, based on your organizational vision, mission, and strategy. You need to identify the critical roles, skills, competencies, and behaviors that are required for your current and future success, as well as the gaps and risks that exist in your talent pool. You can use various tools and methods to conduct this analysis, such as job descriptions, competency frameworks, performance reviews, surveys, interviews, or assessments.

3 Use career portfolios and evidence

Another effective strategy for talent and succession planning is to use career portfolios and evidence to showcase your employees' achievements, skills, and potential. A career portfolio is a collection of documents and artifacts that demonstrate your employees' work performance, learning outcomes, and career aspirations. Career portfolios can include various types of evidence, such as resumes, certificates, diplomas, awards, testimonials, work samples, or feedback. Career portfolios can help you evaluate your employees' capabilities, track their progress, identify their strengths and areas for improvement, and match them with suitable roles and opportunities.

4 Implement a transparent and fair process

A key factor for the success of any talent and succession planning strategy is to implement a transparent and fair process that involves all the relevant stakeholders. You need to communicate clearly and consistently with your employees about the purpose, criteria, and outcomes of your talent and succession planning process, as well as solicit their input and feedback. You also need to involve your managers, leaders, and HR professionals in the process, and ensure that they are trained, supported, and accountable for their roles and responsibilities. A transparent and fair process can help you build trust, credibility, and commitment among your employees and stakeholders, as well as avoid bias, discrimination, or favoritism.

5 Align your talent management with your business objectives

Finally, one of the most effective strategies for talent and succession planning is to align your talent management with your business objectives. This means ensuring that your talent and succession planning process is aligned with your organizational vision, mission, values, culture, and strategy, as well as with your external environment, market trends, customer needs, and competitors. You need to monitor and evaluate your talent and succession planning process regularly, and adjust it as needed, to ensure that it is relevant, responsive, and effective. You also need to measure and report on your talent and succession planning outcomes, and celebrate and reward your achievements and successes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?