The Future of Your Department: Planning for Tomorrow

Chris Nunes, CPRE- The Woodlands Township, Texas

Massachusetts Parks and Recreation Association Annual Conference, Hyannis MA

Before we start………

• Why are you at this session?

• What does succession planning mean to you/your agency?

• 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 Objectives

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?

• 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.

Need for Succession Planning

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

• 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 Plan

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

• 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

Model for Effective

Performance

The The individual’s individual’s

competenciescompetencies

The job’s The job’s demandsdemands

The The organizational organizational environmentenvironment

Effective specific Effective specific actions or actions or behaviorsbehaviors

BALANCEBALANCE

Boyatzis (1982)

Understand DevelopmentNeeds

• 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

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

Job SkillsJob Skills

CharacteristicsCharacteristics

EntrEntryy

LevLevelel

CEOCEO

Understand Development

Needs

Ass

ess

the

com

pete

ncy

gap

Middle Middle Mgmt.Mgmt.

• 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

25 common competencies

Understand Development

Needs

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

Understand Development

Needs

Only 10% focus on positions below executive level –www.successionplanning101.com

• 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.

Identify PotentialSuccessors

Focus beyond just high performers!!!!

Generation Ages Attributes Learning Styles

Training Style

ManagementStyle

Silent Born before 1946 (62-83)

Like hierarchy and orderComfortable with direct leadershipWilling to climb the ladder patientlyDifficult to adjust to change

AuditoryDataMonologue

ClassroomFormalQuite

ControlAuthorityThinkers

Baby Boomers 1946- 1964 (43-61)

Believe in value of hard workValue democratic work environmentView work groups as social groupsSeek to change institutions

VisualMetaphorsDialogue

RoundtableRelaxedPlanned

CooperationCompetency Doers

Generation X 1965-1977 (30-42)

Want to be cutting edgeWilling to break the rulesAdaptive to change and new technology

Kinesthetic SensoryStories

UnplannedSpontaneousInteractive

ConsensusCreativityFeelers

Generation Y 1978-1990 (18-29)

Instant GenerationTech SavvyLimited employee loyalty Upward mobility- no waitCynicism towards organizationsValue input, feedback and mentoring

Kinesthetic SensoryStories

UnplannedSpontaneousInteractive

ConsensusCreativityFeelers

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

Identify Potential Successors

What the previous director, superintendent, supervisor, coordinator was……..may or may not be what you need…….

• 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 PotentialSuccessors

Identify Potential Successors

Advantages

• Provides rewards and incentives for great employees

• Cost effective

• Morale-boosting

• Institutional knowledge

Disadvantages

• Organizational inbreeding

• Possible infighting or jockeying for position

• Heavy load on training and development

Internal vs External Candidates?????

Partially from Martinez-Purson, 2006

Identify Potential Successors

• 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?

What are HiPo’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• Staff

• 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???

Develop & Train Successors

Overall, create an organizational learning culture

Develop & Train Successors

• Performance Reviews– 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

• Conference Plan

Develop & Train Successors

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 RecreationThe Woodlands Township 2801 Technology Forest BlvdThe Woodlands, TX 77381cnunes@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov281.210.3906