Monday, February 11, 2013

So, you all heard the news that the Pope is resigning at the end of this month. It's the first time in 600 years that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has stepped down willingly.

While certainly not with the impact of a Pope's resignation, are YOU prepared for a key member of your team to surprise you one morning with such an announcement?

Here are a couple things you can do now:

1. Always have a "bullpen" – As a strong manager, part of your role is to always be prepared ... have a list of your "first calls" in the event of a key employee's departure.
2. Know who is the best among your competition. Know the names. Discover their performance. Try and meet them. You never know. They might consider a change.
3. At least have an introductory meeting with a recruiting company. The cost of replacing key people is high, but, not higher than significant loss of revenue. Yes, you will have to pay a commission, but such firms can help speed up the process.
4. If you don't have your "dream team" on staff, who might be if you could get them. Know who they are and when the opportunity presents itself, maybe it could end up as an upgrade.
5. Have a back-up. Who, on staff, can step up and fill in to either rise to the occasion, or at the very least, keep things stable until you find a perfect replacement.