Crisis Proofing Talent Protocol
No industry is immune to the disruptions of COVID-19. While hiring has slowed, an opportunity has presented itself. There is no better time to reflect, reevaluate, and redesign talent strategies and align them with organizational needs.
Beyond navigating remote work and virtual learning environments, these unprecedented times have placed an emphasis on effective leadership. Businesses are operating under high risk threats and profound uncertainty. For many, survival is at stake. Despite the economic downturn, this time is an opportunity to make changes where change has been deferred. For talent management, companies can take this time to acquire clarity and knowledge of the status of the talent supply and demand.
While seismic challenges rock the world, companies should utilize this time to analyze the purpose of talent management and identify the leaders who will lead companies beyond the road to recovery. This is a moment of truth for leadership. The uncharted waters will reveal leaders who are ready to rise to the occasion as well as leaders who lack certain characteristics that are considered necessary.
The COVID-19 pandemic has promised to change business as we know it. As a result, leaders should double down on ensuring the security of the organization by being proactive and agile. By seizing the moment in talent, leaders can refine talent protocol and process and further identify leaders that have been less productive than others.
Some leaders are empowered by unpredictable circumstances and have been working diligently to provide new solutions to improve operations amidst the viral outbreak while others have retrieved old play books that are unfit for the current environment to try and navigate through uncertainty. This is an opportunity to measure what matters most.
The extreme pressures will shed a light on leadership qualities. People who were once considered high quality may appear disappointing while others may surprisingly rise in the face of adversity. Some may establish themselves as successors and some may fall short. Update internal data and protocol to effectively evaluate and access leaders. This information will help collect insight to improve and build the future workforce.
It is important to adapt to the current landscape and to be virtual by design, but not default. While operations have transitioned online, avoid reinserting past talent processes across different channels to make do. See the new way of engagement as a means to adapt talent processes accordingly and build infrastructure for the future workforce.