Proactively sponsoring a clear future people agenda is mission-critical for our Boards today. Without it, our organisations fail to adapt or prosper – particularly against the backdrop of quick technological advances, strengthening competitive forces and huge shifts in workforce and customer expectations. Under their corporate governance role, Boards now need proactive and clear ways to help their C-suite, leaders and people become future-fit.
In the quest for people future-fitness, Boards typically come up against 5 problems that prevent them from asking the right questions and getting traction:
1. Challenges – They haven’t yet specifically identified the external and internal challenges they will face in the next 3-5+years and assessed the likely people impacts
2. Readiness – They haven’t yet invested in preparing themselves to act with the right agenda, structures, toolkits or mindsets
3. Acuity – They haven’t yet taken the time or have the expertise to quantify the exact nature of the anticipated people risks or shifts
4. Fitness to Act – They may not yet have cleared the path to getting future-fit, nor have the right skills, resources, alignment and/or attention of key players in place
5. Traction – They may not yet have considered how to engage the hearts and minds of key players, nor established how to track progress in a highly visible, meaningful and objective ways
While seemingly complex and difficult to pin down, the key is for the Board to tackle these problems in priority order, based on an objective assessment of the current state of play. Through this lens, they can build a clear and structured approach and a framework against which to positively shape the future with near-term traction.
Elisa Hukins is Founder of FutureCrafters. We partner with her company. FutureCrafters have a track record of building forward-thinking Boards and executive teams of progressive organisations. To explore how these ideas can be brought to life more strongly in your organisation, contact us to arrange a time to meet her. Inquiries@mondocalibre.com.au