December Reflections and Planning Ahead

Table of Contents

• December Reflections and Planning Ahead

  • Where to start?

    • Let’s Get Real: How do I Prioritize?

  • Quick 1% Solutions

  • What I’m Reading

  • Feedback?

  • Additional Ways to Partner

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,”- African proverb

As leaders, we usually are finding ways for us and our teams to improve or innovate. Right around now, orgs are either putting the finishing touches on a strategy plan or beginning the process of setting direction. Whether you are looking to improve practices and processes currently happening or launching new initiatives, the key to translating that vision into reality is by making sure that your talent processes attract and support teammates that are able to get you from point A to point B. That alignment creates a culture that says “We’re in this together,” and is the difference between having change happen to your people or with them.

Where to start?

First, look through the strategy. What are the skill sets and competencies that folks will need to make this a reality? Be as clear as you can, without any jargon (Read: do not tell me people will need to give a 110%. That’s not a thing.)

Before deciding anything, it’s helpful to audit what is. My top 5 processes to audit for alignment:

• Outreach- how does your outreach to candidates convey your values, mission and strategy, and does it attract the folks that are both both excited by them and have the skillsets needed to add to your capacity?

• Hiring- how does your hiring process not only assess whether new teammates have the skills and mindsets need for your current phase but also creates an experience that makes people want to sign on?

• Onboarding- Employees who have positive experiences in their first 90 days are 10 times more likely to stay. but positive doesn’t always mean upbeat and pizza parties. How are you communicating the org’s values and strategy? How are you connecting folks to the mission and community? How are you preparing them for and supporting them through the inevitable challenges?

• Performance Evaluations- How does your performance evaluation describe and celebrate the skillsets and competencies needed for the organization

• Training and Collaboration- How does your training and meeting calendar create space for teammates to internalize the organization or team’s direction, norm together on what excellence looks like, and apply that to their own roles?

Let’s Get Real: How do I Prioritize?

If you are like me, your list of “things to improve” is going to be long (my time blindness does not help here). Unfortunately, time does not expand to fit our to-do lists. As you try to set your talent strategy, I’d ask you to let the data guide you. As you think about where you are and where you want to be, what do you think is or will be the major pain point? Some ways to think about where to start

• “We have great people but not enough with the skills needs to move the org forward” —> Start with hiring processes and performance evaluations

• “When I think of what’s ahead, we haven’t been attracting candidates with those skill sets”—> Start with outreach and hiring

• “We have great people who can get there, we’re just not there yet”—> Start with performance evaluations and training and collaboration

• “I thought we hired the right people but the first few months on the job were so bumpy” —> Look at your hiring processes and onboarding

One of my favorite quotes is “A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” The more data driven and focused your problem statement is, the clearer your path forward will be. And even if your people data systems are lacking, you have one data set readily available to you- your team! Talk to them to help you triangulate where to start.

Quick 1% Solutions

Sometimes we just need a few tactical solutions that can be implemented tomorrow. Some ideas for December (and this week)

• Recognize your team- 79% of employees who quit their jobs leave from a lack of recognition. As a leader, let your last emails of 2023 be ones of thanks and recognition. These don’t have to be long but should be specific. After all, what you praise will likely be repeated.

• Consistency in performance management- One of the biggest determinants of retention is whether teammates feel they are being treated fairly. If you manage managers, set your next 1:1 to have them review their evaluations with you and role play conversations. If you manage ICs, make sure that you have data from a variety of sources.

• Take stock now of pain points- this is specifically for my K-12 leaders given the hiring cycle but can be true for anyone. Take 10 minutes to write down the pain points of the year thus far. Was it a new initiative poorly executed? A team that wasn’t well-balanced in terms of strengths? Did new hires struggle in a specific way? Get specific. Then remember- people do the best they know how. Use this list to define your PD calendar for the remainder of this year, and your Summer PD calendar for the 24-25 SY.

What I’m Reading

I’ll routinely share things I’m reading and listening, to help deliver a curated list of helpful resources, things to think about or articles to share with your team (the facilitator in me loves a good pre-reading before a meeting!)

• DEIB- More is not always more when it comes to change. Check out this MIT article on Diversity Nudges. Nudges are small interventions with medium sized impact (an example: making something opt-in will create friction to join a program that you want to offer, which can helpf ensure those that sign up are invested) Nudges are helpful for anyone but are incredibly useful for small and growing teams strapped for time and bandwidth. This MIT article shares some nudges that can still push the needle on diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • And on that note, if you’re nerding out on the whole concept of nudges, read Nudge- one of the more helpful books I read when I was a founding principal in a fledgling network.

• Attracting Talent- Yes, attracting talent can be challenging. This Forbes article on attracting and keeping talent during turbulent times is simple and helpful (One common theme? Help your people to grow!)

• On Managers- The quality of your managers will make or break your growth. CultureAmp just put out a State of the Manager report, that I am currently reading through. Ways to Partner

• The business case for purpose-driven and clearly communicated policies- VCs are not a group that I’d define as touchy-feely. So if they are started to assess the clarity of your WFH policy, then we know there’s clearly a business case for clarity and purpose. And this goes beyond WFH policies. This Fast Company article talks through the real impacts on productivity and employer branding.

Feedback?

The goal of this newsletter is to be helpful for you! It would be so helpful if you could take 2 minutes to share what kind of content you’d want addressed by taking this brief survey.

Additional Ways to Partner

Not everyone has the budget or time to bring on a consultant or fractional Chief People Officer. If you are reading this and aren’t sure where to start but aren’t ready to reach out for a traditional consulting agreement, I’m offering a few ways that may be better suited to orgs needing a bit more of a DIY approach

• Strategy and Problem Solving Call- You have a talent or people issue that you just need to talk through

• Half and Full Day Strategy and Action Planning- You and your team need focused time and experienced support in setting your strategy and/or your action plan

• Team facilitations and trainings- You and your team need a lighter touch to support as you audit your practices, refine strategy and develop your action plan

• Advisory service- Think of this as a talent partner on speed dial- someone to talk through issues and get counsel on a regular basis

You can also schedule a free 20 minute discovery call to explore additional ways to work together.

Want to keep up with all things talent? Are you trying to affect change while bringing people along? Do you want your org to go from scrappy to sustainable? Then subscribe below!

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