At Helios HR, we are often called upon for assistance when a key player(s) exits his or her role within an organization. Many businesses do not have a succession plan in place, which means that we are stepping into an organization after the decision has been made for an executive team member to leave. It is imperative that the proper actions are taken to identify and smoothly transition the appropriate backfill into the senior role. While this can be a time filled with uncertainty, the following steps can ease the process of identifying a successor that will be the right fit for your organization.

Helios has had many clients inquire as to how they can effectively improve their talent management. While not easy, it is vitally important to attracting, retaining, and developing your employees. The solution — use a common language. Competencies, which are the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for job success, provide that common language.

Why do employees need to be developed?

What drives the use of employee development programs? Are the funds used mostly around the time of an annual review as a result of an employee realizing they are eligible for a raise by obtaining an industry specific certification? Are the funds used primarily as a result of the criticism on a deliverable or a behavior being recognized as needing improvement? If so, it may not necessarily be the availability of the benefit itself causing the disinterest in the program. It may be that the program needs to go beyond that which develops employees. The program must be designed so that it strengthens employees.

If you know anything about Helios, you might be aware of the Helios Apollo Awards. We started this program to recognize and reward employers who promote employee development within their organization to stay focused on the future. One category judged in the application is the opportunities available for mentoring. Many attendees after the awards program ask us how they can begin developing these programs after realizing it can be a real value to the organization. We understand that the implementation, funding, or simply finding the time to focus on employee development does not always come easy, but we are here to help get you started. Here’s some general information to consider as you begin thinking about starting your own internal mentoring program.