By Roger E. Herman
1. Re-recruit your employees.
2. Develop contingency plans for a slow recovery and very fast economic
growth.
3. Reaffirm your relationships with all your valued
customers. Build relationships deep in case your primary contact(s) leave
for greener pastures.
4. Reaffirm your relationships with all your suppliers.
Build relationships deep in case your primary contact(s) leave for greener
pastures. Consider alternative suppliers if you have any doubts about
how well they could support you in a fast-growth mode.
5. Engage in serious strategic workforce planning. How
many and what category of worker will you need for gradual growth and
for fast growth? Where will those people come from? Is your succession
planning design up-to-date?
6. Check your positioning in the employment market.
How are you viewed by the people you will want to hire? Are you their
Employer of Choice?
7. Engage your entire workforce in an honest critical
review of your operating systems and procedures. Is everything working
smoothly? Where might strains be expected if you experienced a really
strong increase in business?
8. Check your corporate financing. Can you support lagging
cash flow if you get a relatively sudden surge of orders?
9. Concentrate on leadership and management development.
People who lead or manage well in relatively slow times may need help
in shifting gears to a faster pace.
10. Defend yourself against the vulnerability of an
unstable workforce. Workforce stability can be a competitive advantage
in turbulent times.
To learn more, consider these AMA seminars:
Author Bio: Roger E. Herman is a Workforce Futurist
and Certified Management Consultant and the lead author of Impending
Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People (Oakhill Press, 2003). Contact
him at (336) 282-9370 or roger@hermangroup.com
|
