Charting the Course

I think most business leaders would agree that finding the right people becomes considerably more difficult when the need is urgent. A key employee announces they're leaving, a new contract requires additional staff, an expansion happens more quickly than anticipated, or a specialized position remains vacant far longer than expected. Suddenly, the organization is under pressure to find people while trying to keep everything else moving.

Those situations are familiar, but they also raise an important question: How much of the pressure could have been reduced through earlier planning?

Strategic workforce planning encourages organizations to examine their current talent resources alongside their future business objectives. It means thinking about which skills are already available internally, where potential gaps may develop, how changing labor market conditions could influence recruiting efforts, and whether existing recruitment strategies will support what's ahead.

For example, an organization planning to expand into a new market might assume it can recruit the same types of employees using the same methods that have worked in its current location. But the new market may have different labor availability, compensation expectations, competitors, commuting patterns, or candidate preferences. Understanding those differences before making major commitments can help leaders develop a more realistic staffing strategy.

The same principle applies when technology changes the skills an organization requires or when experienced employees approach retirement. By recognizing these conditions early, businesses have more time to explore recruiting approaches, internal development opportunities, succession plans, and other solutions.

I don't believe effective workforce planning needs to become an unnecessarily complicated exercise. What matters is developing a useful understanding of the business, the talent it relies on, and the factors that could influence its ability to meet future needs.

Developing an effective workforce strategy requires looking at several related areas. The objective isn't simply to determine how many people an organization may need next year. It's to understand whether the organization has the right capabilities, resources, and recruiting approach to support its goals.

When I'm working with an organization on workforce strategy, I don't begin by assuming that it needs a sophisticated forecasting system, an extensive research project, or an entirely new recruitment process. I begin by understanding what the business is trying to accomplish and how its current workforce supports those objectives.

That involves conversations about the organization's priorities, the positions that are most important to its operations, the recruiting challenges it has experienced, and the changes it expects over time. I also want to understand what information is already available. Many organizations have useful workforce and recruiting data, but they haven't necessarily had the opportunity to examine it together or connect it to future business plans.

From there, I can help evaluate the external conditions that may influence the organization's workforce needs. Depending on the situation, that might include labor market research, talent availability, competitive recruiting activity, geographic considerations, or an examination of how current recruitment advertising and sourcing strategies align with projected hiring demands.

I also believe it's important to consider more than one possible scenario. Business conditions can change, and a strategy should leave room for reasonable adjustments. For example, what happens if expansion occurs sooner than expected? What if a particular skill becomes more difficult to recruit? What if the organization decides to develop some of the talent it needs internally rather than relying exclusively on external hiring?

The recommendations that emerge from this work should reflect the organization's actual circumstances, resources, and priorities. Sometimes the greatest value comes from improving workforce visibility and planning practices. In other situations, the organization may need to reconsider its candidate targeting, employer messaging, recruiting channels, or readiness for future growth.

My role is to help connect those considerations so leadership can make more informed decisions about where to concentrate its efforts. I want workforce strategy to be something an organization can use and revisit as business conditions evolve—not simply a report that looks impressive when it's presented and then sits on a shelf.