The Future of Your Department: Planning for Tomorrow

1. The Future of Your Department: Planning for Tomorrow Massachusetts Parks and Recreation Association Annual Conference, Hyannis MA Chris Nunes, CPRE- The Woodlands Township, Texas

2. Before we start……… • Why are you at this session? • What does succession planning mean to you/your agency?

3. Session Objectives • 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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……..

8. 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!!

9. 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?

10. Need for Succession Planning • 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.

11. 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

12. 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 Succession Plan

13. Succession Plan • 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

14. Succession Planning Steps • Step 1- Understand Development needs • Step 2- Identify Potential Successors • Step 3- Develop and Train Successors • Step 4- Promote and Compensate

15. Understand Development Needs • Map out competencies and needs of organization • Assess competency gap (organizations and individuals) based on mission, vision and values of organization

16. Understand Development Needs • Competencies • Skills - abilities required to perform the position • Knowledge – information required for the position • Characteristics –attitudes, personality factors or mental traits needed

17. The individual’s competencies The job’s demands The organizational environment Understand Development Needs Model for Effective Performance Effective specific actions or behaviors BALANCE Boyatzis (1982)

18. Understand Development Needs • 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

19. 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

20. Understand Development Needs Characteristics CEO Middle Mgmt. Assess the competency gap Entry Level Job Skills

21. Understand Development Needs • 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

22. Understand Development Needs

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

24. Identify Potential Successors • 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. Focus beyond just high performers!!!!

25. Identify Potential Successors

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

27. Identify Potential Successors • 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????

28. 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 Identify Potential Successors Internal vs External Candidates????? Partially from Martinez-Purson, 2006

29. 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? Identify Potential Successors What are HiPo’s??

30. 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

31. Develop & Train Successors

32. Develop & Train Successors Orientation Packet

33. 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

34. Develop & Train Successors • 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??? Overall, create an organizational learning culture

35. 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

36. Develop & Train Successors

37. Develop & Train Successors

38. Develop & Train Successors • Conference Plan Creating an organizational learning culture

39. 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

40. Develop & Train Successors

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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 Promote & Compensate

45. Final Thoughts!!! • What are you doing? (Standiford, 2004)

46. 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)

47. Final Thoughts!!! • Thank You!!!! Chris Nunes, CPRE, Ph.D. Director of Parks and Recreation The Woodlands Township 2801 Technology Forest Blvd The Woodlands, TX 77381 cnunes@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov 281.210.3906