Navigating change in complex industries requires a host of strategic workforce planning decisions. 

 

Why? Availability of the right people is clearly essential for any growing business. And this means a plan not just for recruitment today but also for identifying the stars of tomorrow. Effective talent pipelines are key. 

 

Done well, workforce planning keeps organisations agile and ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities that come their way. That’s not just managers and people on the shopfloor - it’s leadership teams too. It’s something for all MDs and CEOs to consider: does your organisation have the director-level insight it needs into finances, sales, marketing, and operations? 

 

It’s essential that your SMT has the vision, skills, and cultural awareness to really lead change. When the ER team are meeting with current and future leaders, for example, we are looking for great candidates who can demonstrate specific skills, character traits, and expertise required to slot into C-suite positions in particular industries. 

 

It’s part of our work on building up our database of great senior people, with specific skills and experience, who can go straight into roles throughout the East Midlands. As well as looking backwards at their record, we also find it important to identify those who can look forward too. Candidates who are focussed on long-term success. Change leaders (if you will) who can set a vision and deliver a way to achieve it. 

 

How can we identify these people? Through a comprehensive approach spanning rigorous interviews, background checks, and additional testing methods. Through relationships and networks. Through our comprehensive database (yes, there’s that database again!) of existing and future leaders who are awaiting that perfect next opportunity. 

 

Of course, it’s not just in business where leadership vision and change management is key. The ER team see it in the public and third sectors too. The Prime Minister, for example, recently warned “major surgery, not sticking plaster solutions” were required to sustain the NHS. This means long term, fundamental reform. And that requires visionary leadership and effective delivery. 

 

The skills and availability of the right people will underpin future success or failure. And this is why the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan - released last year - set out a 15-year strategy for ensuring that recruitment and retention aligns with organisational needs. 

 

Strategic workforce planning is a vital process for meeting any organisation's evolving needs. It involves addressing changes in supply, demand, and location. These are all influenced by factors as diverse as fluctuating business confidence, globalisation, technological impacts, labour market trends, mergers, relocations, and skills shortages. 

 

So, one more time for all you fast-growing businesses: do you have people round your board table with the skills to spot what’s coming - and help you reap the benefits?