succession planning, mentoring and coaching: the key to staff development cathy standiford, city...
TRANSCRIPT
Succession Planning, Mentoring and Coaching:
The Key to Staff Development
Cathy Standiford, City Manager
City of La Palma
What Generation Are You?
Silent Generation - 58+ Baby Boomers - 39-57 Generation X - 26-38 Generation Y - 18-25
Who’s Behind You?
Fewer college students are selecting public administration
Public administration/public policy students are currently more attracted to jobs in the nonprofit sector
There has been limited effort to groom professionals already in the pipeline
What Happens When People Leave?
Impact on the work group?
Impact on the Division/Department?
Impact on the organization as a whole?
Impact on…..YOU?
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
Why Succession Planning SHOULD be a Common Practice Leaders/potential leaders want to work for
quality organizations Limited talent pool Provides an opportunity to identify potential
leaders and groom them for advancement Helps the organization prepare for the
future
What is Succession Planning?
“Constant Change” Planning An Organizational Journey with No End Ensuring Continuity of Leadership Identifying Gaps in Existing Talent Pool Identifying/Nurturing Future Leaders
Action Steps to Succession Planning
Identify the desired leadership skills and attributes
Identify potential leaders Share vision with each
employee Assess each individuals’ goals
Action Steps, continued Identify gaps in skills Assign “growth tasks”
& training Mentor and coach so
that they’re ready to ascend into leadership
Don’t let those who are not interested in advancement hold you back!
Small Group Discussion
What CPRS Professional core competencies are essential for your job?
Who on your staff currently has them? What strategies can you think of that would
help you help them develop those competencies?
CPRS Core Competencies
Business Acumen Communications and Marketing Planning and Evaluation Community Relations Leadership and Management
The Value of Mentoring/Coaching
An important part of succession planning Builds long-term, organizational loyalty Customized “on the job” development Inexpensive – primarily “soft costs” Flexible: formal or informal, same or
different organizations A good mentor-protégé relationship can be
beneficial throughout a career
Mentoring/Coaching Is:
A relationship between two people Focused on career development through
– Skill and experience building– Sharing of insights and ideas– Evaluation and constructive feedback– Candor, trust, and confidentiality
Given the Limited Number of People Following Behind…
Everyone has a responsibility to coach or mentor someone else
Everyone has the capacity to be a good protégé.
Creating a Great Coaching Relationship
Even one hour of your time can make a big difference to someone
It’s not necessary to have a “relationship” before starting the dialogue
Be a mirror, not a sponge! Let the protégé do the work
Final Thoughts…
People quit people before they quit organizations– What are you doing to inspire your best and
brightest to stay with you?– How much do you know about your employees,
their goals and aspirations?– What are you doing to help them achieve their
dreams?
Final Thoughts…
Develop your action plan before you get into a crisis– What steps can you take today to grow
leadership for tomorrow?
Hire tough– The most important asset in your organization
is having the RIGHT people on your team– Never lower your standards just to fill a
position!
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
Take the Coaching Challenge!
1. Develop a Succession Plan for your Division or work group
2. Create a coaching relationship with at least one of your subordinates
3. Ask someone else to be your coach and schedule time to talk with them
Additional Resources
Monday Morning Leadership (Cottrell) Coaching & Mentoring for Dummies
(Brounstein) Cal-ICMA Website: www.cal-icma.org Preparing the Next Generation Resource
Guide (downloadable from the Cal-ICMA website)