This guidance recommends the ‘Ready Now/Ready Next’ Approach to Succession Planning.

Every really effective executive spends a great deal of time on the people in their organization. Who’s good, who’s struggling, who’s doing what we need them to do, who’s taking up too many resources, who’s creating conflict where they oughtn’t. This is because the core responsibility of an executive is to ensure the future profitability of the organization.

That means you’ve got to know who’s going to fill what roles in the near term. Further, based on what the market is going to do in the next 5 years, where is the organization strong or weak relative to that in human capacity, and therefore what hiring/development needs to happen to create the future we want or meet the future we think is going to happen to us.

Here’s how to do Succession Planning now for you and your team.

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This week, we conclude our discussion on managing through a personal crisis. Last week, we discussed the preparation; this week, we discuss ACTIONS.

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This cast gives managers specific steps to take when dealing with a personal crisis of a direct report.

Mark once heard a manager say that when one of his directs started crying, he simply "gave them some tissue and walked out." Even though he prided himself on being a tough-minded, results oriented, very successful manager, at some level he knew that his response was too callous, too cold. When Mark looked at him, mouth agape, he immediately backpedaled and said something to the effect of, "well, I'm giving them space...I don't want them to be embarrassed . . . I appreciate their need for privacy . . . I didn't want them thinking I was evaluating them right then."

All delivered with that delicate edge of panic that comes from defending the indefensible. Your directs have lives outside of work, and as often as you will ask them to stay late, to do more, to answer emails on the weekend . . . every once in a while, THEIR lives are going to herniate into YOUR work.

What do you do as a manager when one of your team has a crisis? When their spouse is hurt or hospitalized? When their house burns down? When someone's parent passes away?

We'll tell you in this cast.

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Today, we complete our discussion on Body Odor.

One of our more controversial topics, to be sure ... but folks, we don't make this stuff up! The issue arises in offices all across the world every day. And since it doesn't seem like anyone else wants to talk about it, we will!

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This cast describes how to have a discussion with a direct whose personal odor is affecting their teammates.

We get asked "the body odor question" a lot, and everyone seems stunned that we actually have an answer. Usually, a manager just mentions it in passing. "Well, thanks for this other help...but even YOU can't help with THIS problem." In keeping with their tone, I say, "what's that?" Their reply of "I got a guy who is creating problems on the team. It's ...uhhhh... it's like... he uhhhh..."

"Body Odor?"

"How did you know?"

The fact is, we ALL smell. If you don't think you do, you're mistaken, and that deodorant or antiperspirant in your bathroom closet, to say nothing of the eau de toilette, cologne, perfume, and scented toothpaste and body lotion you likely have there as well.

And so, it's going to happen that you will have to have a conversation with one of your directs about their personal scent. Here's how.

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This podcast is the first in a series of recurring casts - it could easily amount to ten over the next couple of years - about employee retention. The best managers we know do a great job of retention. As a matter of fact, because it goes to the future potential of the organization, retention is one of Mark's favorite delineators of management talent. Strategy gets done more effectively in places where retention is good.

In this cast, we're going to talk about bare bones basics. This is the stuff that any manager can do... really, that any manager wanting to think of themselves as a professional MUST do. If you're not taking these simple steps, you need to start, so you can build a base to some of the more powerful techniques we'll share in future casts.

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Last week, in our detailed review of the Late Stage Coaching Model, we covered steps 1 and 2 (Feedback and Systemic Feedback) of the six steps. Today we review the last 4 steps.

As a reminder, the 6 steps of the Late Stage Coaching Model are:

1. Feedback - Key point here is one of FREQUENCY versus significance. Good adjusting feedback is relaxed, it's professional, it's simple, it's respectful. But it is also DELIVERED.
2. Systemic Feedback- Systemic feedback is simply feedback about an employee failing to change behavior that they've agreed to work on. This is a critical and often overlooked escalation of your performance coaching, and has powerful implications. Effective Managers AVERT the need for performance coaching with this step ALL THE TIME.
3. One on One Performance Discussion - In this step you simply make YOUR agenda item during your weekly one-on-one their continued failure to perform. You talk about their performance, and review all the feedback and systemic feedback, and their lack of improvement. And you ask for their input. You're doing FOUR things here.
   1. Reconfirming that they are performing below your standards.
   2. Creating a key documentation point.
   3. Asking for comments of ANY nature that might explain the performance issue.
   4. Asking again for ideas about how THEY can improve THEIR performance.

4. Coaching - It's possible you never get to coaching, because the feedback, systemic feedback, and direct one-on-one discussion get the point across. We hope so, we BELIEVE so... until they don't get it. And then we coach them.
5. Formal Performance Discussion and Notification - This discussion is similar to the first one. But now, you're doing FIVE things.
   1. Reconfirming that they are performing below your standards.
   2. Creating a key documentation point.
   3. Asking for comments of ANY nature that might explain the performance issue.
   4. Asking again for ideas about how THEY can improve THEIR performance.
   5. And finally, Notifying them about the implications of continued failure to improve.
6. Coaching Within Your Corporate Process - We can't tell you what it is; it's different in every company. You coach them using the MT coaching model, modifying it to allow for your organization's final steps or system. If you've followed the process we've described, you'll be in a great position to comply with whatever processes exist in your company prior to finally letting someone go.

As we've said repeatedly, you use this model ALL THE TIME, not just when you have someone you intend to let go. 99 times out of 100, behavior changes and you never get to step 6.

Questions or comments? Chat with us about them in the Discussion Forums.

Thanks to everyone participating on the Discussion Forums ... we're all learning!

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Last week, we covered at a high-level the Late Stage Coaching model, or the process you go through when having to fire someone. As we noted then, and we'll say again now, this process isn't really a "how to fire someone", but rather, how to develop someone. In most cases, if you follow this model, you NEVER get to the step where you have to fire someone. Now, isn't that an experience we'd all like to avoid?

This week, we review the model in a bit more detail, with some detailed examples to better illustrate the process.

Ok, let's get this out of the way ... this is not *really* a show about how to fire people. Rather, today we discuss how to take a poor performer and turn them into a good performer. And when, despite your best efforts, you are not successful in helping the person turn around, how to be in a position where you can fire the person. You may not feel good about it (that's ok, you shouldn't!), but you will be confident in your decision and be able to put your head down on your pillow and sleep at night.

There are six steps:

1. Feedback
2. Systemic Feedback
3. One on One Performance Discussion
4. Coaching
5. Formal Performane Discussion and Notification
6. Coaching Within Your Corporate Process

We'll review these steps at a high-level today, and come back to them with more detail and some examples over the next couple of podcasts.

If you're one of our many listeners who come to the website each week to download the show, try subscribing. Simply go to iTunes, download the iTunes player, and then click on the iTunes subscription button on the left side of this web page. It's quick, it's easy, and you'll have the convenience of having the Manager Tools podcast downloaded AUTOMATICALLY each week. Give it a try!

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The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First by Jeffrey Pfeffer