PEOPLE OR PERISH: NEW 2015

In any organisation, the people within deliver the business goals. Mere information of the requirements to reach certain business objectives will not suffice.  A second line of leadership must emerge, equipped with the required systems and processes that can facilitate an engaging and nurturing culture. The employees need to see effective leaders who cultivate appropriate behaviours among them through efficient working practices.  This can propel the business forward.

A clear plan of how the organisation will gain what is needed through the second line of people champions is a vital step to achieving business success and sustainability. If not, delivery will be uneven and irregular.

Since no company is fully ready for what is next, it is important for the second line to forecast the possible business issues, challenges and obstacles. This prevents even the best laid plans from being thrown off track. 

Further, for the lower rung of employees to share a common vision to achieve the business objectives, employees need to remain informed of ground reality of business performance as well as their roles toward achieving organisations business objectives. This keeps the focus in the organisation and a sense delivery commitment for the larger business picture is secure.

However, in order to keep the employees motivated, a reward structure is necessary. Without an effective reward mechanism, organisations may get absorbed into non-business issues that can hamper excellent performance.

From a larger perspective, it is important to analyse the business objectives of the corporate in terms of 1 year, 5 years and 10 years objectives. The positions and roles that are vital and crucial for business growth must be mapped and the required competencies clearly drafted. These need to drill down from the top; and to be reviewed for the appropriate skill set gaps for specific business functions.

This can be comprehensively done through a talent audit; identify the high potential employees that can lead your business forward and identify the skill gaps to be plugged to achieve better alignment. Once plugged, the customer perspective for better service delivery needs to be incorporated in. This assists in aligning the business to the organisational goals. If there are significant gaps in available talent, recruitment of the right talent is required to assure long term and short term business goals are met. The long term success in business hinges on strategic agility to visualise, build and execute best people and business practices across all levels in the organisation.

A significant effort by the senior management must be directed to creating a higher people quotient. It begins by nurturing a culture of learning that is strategically linked to the long term and short term objectives of the organisation. This can happen through effective leadership from within leading to an environment of behaviour modelling. Within the context of clearly defined roles and responsibilities, it is equally important to provide a space for release of creative energy and to focus on personal interests. This impacts and ensures the organisations continuous success with greater engagement levels within leading to higher net-worth.