You need talent. But it can be challenging to find the right job candidate, especially when so few people have all the qualifications necessary to take on a leadership position due to the emerging talent shortage. In terms of the supply chain field, the most important part of your business strategy is making sure you have a solid succession plan. This is why you need to make some updates to your process and use the best hiring practices.
1. Look Ahead
When building a succession plan strategy, your company should constantly be thinking about the future. What qualifications will your candidates need to have four or five years from now? Thanks to the ongoing developments in culture and technology, you will have to make predictions about the changes your company will face. If you neglect to make an adequate plan of succession, other aspects of your long-term business strategy could be for nothing and the supply chain could fall apart.
2. Make Assessments of Candidate Potential
Pay attention to the people who currently work for you. They may perform wonderfully in their current job while showing little promise as a possible CEO or manager. But they could also be your new rising star without your even knowing it. Build a model of your succession plan to fit regular assessments of your candidates’ potential. Then, when the time comes, you’ll have records of everyone’s performance to show you who’s a good candidate to move up.
3. Train Your Internal Talent
If you don’t have talent, create it.
Just because a candidate doesn’t have the qualifications of a successor now doesn’t mean they couldn’t do so with the right training opportunities. Many companies try to hire people from the outside for leadership positions. While there’s nothing wrong with this, your internal candidates are already available. They know your company and they have the capacity to learn. Succession planning means investing the time and resources into your talent with the most potential so they can walk into their new position prepared.
4. Use a Thorough Application and Interview Process
This is a crucial step for both internal and external candidates. Once you have a set of candidates ready, you should prepare a significant amount of time for them to apply, interview, show you what the job means to them, and what they will bring to the job. Rushing through this process could backfire, so it’s important to give everyone a chance to make their case. Then, your company’s hiring team can make a solid and informed decision.
Start Your Succession Plan
Now that you know how important your succession plan is for your company and the supply chain, there’s no time to waste. Having a strong succession strategy will help you make sure your company stays on track for years to come.
If you’re looking for professional recruiter specialists to help your company with its succession plan, Optimum Supply Chain Recruiters can offer you a range of recruiting and hiring services. Contact us on our website to find out more about our areas of specialty.
Don Jacobson
Don Jacobson was born and raised in New York City, and graduated with a B.A. degree in Management from the City University of New York. For 10 years, Don managed Operations and Supply Chain departments for consumer products companies. He then turned his attention to supply chain recruiting and for the past 27 years, has specialized in recruiting and placing supply chain executives throughout North America. Don is certified by the National Association of Personnel Consultants. He was a Partner at Hunt Ltd., and more recently was the Founder and Managing Partner of LogiPros LLC, a logistics recruiting firm. Don is a regular contributor of topical human resource articles for DC Velocity magazine, the CSCMP Supply Chain Comment, and The WERCSheet, published by the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC). He is Past President of the NY/NJ/CT chapter of WERC.