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RTM Consulting 1
Strategic Personnel Management: How to Build a Team of Doers,
Leaders and Innovators
By Sara Lewis, RMCP速
Resource Manager
ServiceNow
Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi once said, Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is
important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.
In Professional Services, thinking strategically results in increased business, improved financial outcomes
and customer satisfaction. Oftentimes, however, organizations can be shortsighted in strategically
planning resources. Personnel plans with intention can improve business all-around. Studies show that
happy people are infectious and can attract new clients, great employees, and may help retain the
current quality in resource investment. Fortune magazine tracks and publishes the best companies to
work for each year and shows a direct correlation to increased revenue. Additionally, these companies
added new employees at a rate five times higher than the national average.1
Achieving such success
and status does not happen by accident.
To put strategic personnel management into action, consider three key areas: 1)Engagement 2)
Enhancement 3)Excellence.
Engagement is quantified by immersion and contribution to the organization. Is the staff working
smoothly together as a team? Are the resources looking for ways to help one another achieve greater
success or are they trolling the job boards looking for a new opportunity?
Take a moment today to evaluate the talent pool. Who are the most highly utilized individuals and why?
Review mid-level performers that have a lot of potential and determine what you need to ignite
creativity. Low-performers need to have a clear plan of action to become mid to top level performers. If
a plan of action cant clearly be seen, it is important to be straightforward about the concerns you have
and investigate options to correct or remove obstacles.
Increasing engagement means not only personal commitment, but also organizational commitment to
challenging assignments. Creating stimulating assignments allows a creative outlet for demonstrating
learned skills and expertise. In order to best envelop your employees in their work, an understanding of
personal connection to their work is imperative. Is the consultants passion for work intellectual or
emotional? Meeting employees in their element can multiply the outcome. Some consultants will need
encouragement and strong mentoring to advance. Others need exposure to research in fields outside
their own relating concepts or technologies and giving fresh insights. Reviewing business journals,
technical experts, and internal training options, what new ideas can you expose your resources to that
will both engage them in their craft and educate them in their career field either through direct coaching
or hands-on learning?
Revealing new ways of looking at your industry breathes new life into a career and maintains acuity. I
recall a conversation with a surgeon who was also a surfer. He mentioned that the time on his surfboard
1
http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2014/01/19/happy-employees-hefty-profits
RTM Consulting 2
helped relax him, but also keep his hands strong for surgery. These ideas, when cross-pollinated, can
become a fruitful mechanism for engagement and satisfaction in the workplace.
Reflecting on areas to enhance your services team, consider evolving relevancy within industry.
Formalized training can provide access to industry professionals who are tapped into the community
and abreast of changes that may impact the longevity of a career or area of focus. Recently trained
professionals can help course correct issues seamlessly rather than major retraining efforts or a layoff
and rehire requiring substantial investment. Building on existing skills developed, a consultant will
sharpen their focus and deepen their understanding in their area of expertise.
Innovation is often synonymous with excellence. However, innovation is not just about coming up with
the latest and greatest technologies or solutions, but it is also about becoming in tune with
improvement needs and creating more efficient means of accomplishing the same task. The highest
performing individuals in your organization can do more work than many other consultants combined.
The hours each consultant possesses are the same, but solid performers are going to do the work more
easily and efficiently due to personal systems put in place. It should be the mission of the organization
to harness personal systems and make them repeatable and scalable.
Once the personnel are clearly understood, think about processes and what tasks take the bulk of time
to accomplish. How can the personnel affect change on any pain points? Is another business unit already
working on this as a current assignment and what could be done to accelerate progress?
Failure to plan strategically to address engagement, enhancement, and excellence among your staff will
decrease overall profitability. Resources who are empowered to augment their skills and pursue
excellence through a culture of engagement will want to be a part of your organizations success. In
turn, their eagerness for the organization will woo many talented individuals to your doorstep and
customers will notice the distinction in the service received. Commit to making strategic personnel
management a monumental achievement for your services organization this year.

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Featured-Article-Apr-2015

  • 1. RTM Consulting 1 Strategic Personnel Management: How to Build a Team of Doers, Leaders and Innovators By Sara Lewis, RMCP速 Resource Manager ServiceNow Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi once said, Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things. In Professional Services, thinking strategically results in increased business, improved financial outcomes and customer satisfaction. Oftentimes, however, organizations can be shortsighted in strategically planning resources. Personnel plans with intention can improve business all-around. Studies show that happy people are infectious and can attract new clients, great employees, and may help retain the current quality in resource investment. Fortune magazine tracks and publishes the best companies to work for each year and shows a direct correlation to increased revenue. Additionally, these companies added new employees at a rate five times higher than the national average.1 Achieving such success and status does not happen by accident. To put strategic personnel management into action, consider three key areas: 1)Engagement 2) Enhancement 3)Excellence. Engagement is quantified by immersion and contribution to the organization. Is the staff working smoothly together as a team? Are the resources looking for ways to help one another achieve greater success or are they trolling the job boards looking for a new opportunity? Take a moment today to evaluate the talent pool. Who are the most highly utilized individuals and why? Review mid-level performers that have a lot of potential and determine what you need to ignite creativity. Low-performers need to have a clear plan of action to become mid to top level performers. If a plan of action cant clearly be seen, it is important to be straightforward about the concerns you have and investigate options to correct or remove obstacles. Increasing engagement means not only personal commitment, but also organizational commitment to challenging assignments. Creating stimulating assignments allows a creative outlet for demonstrating learned skills and expertise. In order to best envelop your employees in their work, an understanding of personal connection to their work is imperative. Is the consultants passion for work intellectual or emotional? Meeting employees in their element can multiply the outcome. Some consultants will need encouragement and strong mentoring to advance. Others need exposure to research in fields outside their own relating concepts or technologies and giving fresh insights. Reviewing business journals, technical experts, and internal training options, what new ideas can you expose your resources to that will both engage them in their craft and educate them in their career field either through direct coaching or hands-on learning? Revealing new ways of looking at your industry breathes new life into a career and maintains acuity. I recall a conversation with a surgeon who was also a surfer. He mentioned that the time on his surfboard 1 http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2014/01/19/happy-employees-hefty-profits
  • 2. RTM Consulting 2 helped relax him, but also keep his hands strong for surgery. These ideas, when cross-pollinated, can become a fruitful mechanism for engagement and satisfaction in the workplace. Reflecting on areas to enhance your services team, consider evolving relevancy within industry. Formalized training can provide access to industry professionals who are tapped into the community and abreast of changes that may impact the longevity of a career or area of focus. Recently trained professionals can help course correct issues seamlessly rather than major retraining efforts or a layoff and rehire requiring substantial investment. Building on existing skills developed, a consultant will sharpen their focus and deepen their understanding in their area of expertise. Innovation is often synonymous with excellence. However, innovation is not just about coming up with the latest and greatest technologies or solutions, but it is also about becoming in tune with improvement needs and creating more efficient means of accomplishing the same task. The highest performing individuals in your organization can do more work than many other consultants combined. The hours each consultant possesses are the same, but solid performers are going to do the work more easily and efficiently due to personal systems put in place. It should be the mission of the organization to harness personal systems and make them repeatable and scalable. Once the personnel are clearly understood, think about processes and what tasks take the bulk of time to accomplish. How can the personnel affect change on any pain points? Is another business unit already working on this as a current assignment and what could be done to accelerate progress? Failure to plan strategically to address engagement, enhancement, and excellence among your staff will decrease overall profitability. Resources who are empowered to augment their skills and pursue excellence through a culture of engagement will want to be a part of your organizations success. In turn, their eagerness for the organization will woo many talented individuals to your doorstep and customers will notice the distinction in the service received. Commit to making strategic personnel management a monumental achievement for your services organization this year.