UCSF Human Resources Strategic Development of Internal Leaders Resource Guide & Tool Kit January 2013
January 2013 Strategic Development of Internal Leaders Strategic Development In order to advance UCSF's People Priority, the university is implementing Strategic Development of Internal Leaders (also known as succession planning) to ensure focused development and sustained organizational success. The process consists of assessing and developing internal leaders with the potential to fill advanced leadership positions. The following principles guide the process: 1. Clear Communication and Transparency Set the context for the process: drivers and objectives. When the context is well-articulated, your direct reports will understand that while the process does not guarantee promotional opportunity, it does provide feedback regarding their potential and supports them in their professional growth. 2. Thoughtful Assessment The more attention you give to the assessment process the clearer you and your direct reports will be regarding skill level and development needs. Use the assessment tool to create a thoughtful dialog with your direct reports about skill levels in both positionspecific and general leadership areas. 3. Well Crafted Development Plans with Clear Success Measures Take the time to craft clear development goals with specific actions and success measures. It is hard to hit a target if it is not clearly defined. 4. Long-Range Strategic Planning Succession plans are vehicles for planning your department s successful future. Clarify your departmental vision in support of UCSF vision and mission. With that in mind, think ahead about what skills the department is going to need as well as how your direct reports may be able to serve in advanced positions both within and beyond your department. Strategic Development of Internal Leaders results in: Page 1 Improved engagement through professional advancement opportunities; Sustained leadership in the face of increasing retirements (30% of managers are likely to retire in the next three years); and Focused development of UCSF leaders to support current and future organizational needs, including the retention of leaders who contribute to UCSF s commitment to diversity and excellence.
Strategic Development of Internal Leaders (Succession Planning) Process Page 2
January 2013 Step 1 Identify Professional Aspirations The basis of any strategic development process is having a clear understanding of the professional aspirations of your direct reports. Use the following questions to help identify your direct reports professional aspirations. Where would you like to see yourself in one year, three years, five years? What roles do you aspire to in the department or the broader organization? If your direct reports are not clear what their professional aspirations are, the following questions may support greater clarity. What do you most want to contribute to the world professionally? If anything were possible, how far would you like to advance professionally? Step 2 Conduct Skills Assessment The next step is conducting a skills assessment against general competencies and position-specific skills. There are core competencies that are essential to any leadership role at UCSF. There are also specific skills that are critical for success in a particular position. When you assess individuals relative to a potential future role, be sure to asses them against each of these skill sets. To ensure the most effective development activities in support of professional advancement, a rigorous and accurate assessment process is critical. Page 3
Strategic Development of Internal Leaders Competency Assessment Purpose: To aid individuals in identifying areas of opportunity for leadership and future role focused professional development. Instructions: This tool is designed to assist in identifying the strengths and development opportunities of individuals interested in advanced leadership opportunities. Assess each item as honestly and accurately as possible based on current skills. The responses are the basis for identifying areas to focus on for professional development. Name of Person being Assessed: Date of Assessment: Current Position: Potential Future Position (for assessment): Place an "X" in the appropriate cell below based on current skill Development Sufficient Exceptional Needed Skill Skill Job Specific Skills (these are the three most important technical skills or abilities) A. (Example: Strong business management expertise with a background in operations.) B. C. General Leadership Competencies - (these are the same for any leadership position) Collaboration 1. Building partnerships to accomplish goals. 2. Inviting opportunities for resource sharing in service of organizational efficiency and improved outcomes. 3. Encouraging cooperation by building trust and creating an environment in which people can leverage one another s resources and talents. Communication 4. Delivering clear and compelling communications in all media. 5. Fostering an environment of information sharing and collegiality. 6. Matching communication style to the message and the audience. 7. Actively soliciting and listening to the opinions of others. Continuous Improvement and Innovation 8. Using benchmarks to set and meet quality standards 9. Continually seeking different and innovative approaches to addressing organizational problems and opportunities. Page 4
Place an "X" in the appropriate cell below based on current skill Development Sufficient Exceptional Developing Highly Effective Teams 10. Developing performance and capabilities of staff through coaching, mentoring and providing development opportunities. 11. Inspiring, mentoring and motivating teams to succeed. 12. Creating clear goals, providing ongoing feedback and engaging teams to ensure desired outcomes. Needed Skill Skill Inclusiveness 13. Modeling and promoting mutual respect, fairness and equity. 14. Working to understand and encourage the perspectives of others. 15. Designing and advocating for inclusive practices. Leading Change 16. Aligning departmental efforts with organizational priorities by actively anticipating changing needs and objectives. 17. Translating vision into actionable goals. 18. Supporting others in enacting and adapting to change. Managing Self 19. Recognizing one's own strengths and weaknesses. 20. Continually seeking feedback from others. 21. Learning from both success and failure. Problem Solving/Decision Making 22. Anticipating and identifying problems in order to define effective solutions. 23. Analyzing and synthesizing complex data to define issues in service of resolution. 24. Making independent and critical decision based on relevant information. Service Orientation (Internal and External Customer Focus) 25. Cultivating strategic customer relationships. 26. Setting and maintaining high standards of service. 27. Integrating customer and business needs to provide optimal service. Stewardship and Managing Resources (Financial Acumen) 28. Appling key business/financial concepts and analysis to decisionmaking. 29. Understanding governance and organizational models sufficiently to make sound judgments in allocating and managing resources. 30. Providing excellent stewardship of university resources, being transparent and accountable in their management. Page 5
Place an "X" in the appropriate cell below based on current skill Strategic Planning Development Needed Sufficient Skill Exceptional Skill 31. Establishing and committing to a long-range goal or vision with consideration of organizational resources, constraints and values. 32. Developing and implementing work plans with actionable components and measurable outcomes. Advanced Leadership Competencies - (for high-level leadership positions) Building Strategic Relationships 33. Initiating and cultivating strategic internal and external networking relationships that foster individual and organizational goals. 34. Building and maintaining effective and collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders. Driving Large-Scale Change 35. Driving large-scale change through inspiration, communication, and engaging others towards focused action. 36. Creating and inspiring innovative ideas, technologies and processes and lays the foundation for their effective implementation. Driving Strategic Direction 37. Developing and communicating achievable organizational strategies and initiatives. 38. Identifying potential risks and opportunities to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Entrepreneurial Leadership 39. Seeking opportunities to create or expand existing services in support of the organizational mission. 40. Creating opportunities for innovation and developing a culture of innovation through the allocation of time, energy and financial resources to support it. Visionary Leadership 41. Developing a clear direction for the future of the organization and creating a long term, big picture view. 42. Creating a climate that supports future based thinking and decisionmaking. Page 6
January 2013 Step 3 Create Individual Development Plan Based on the Strategic Development of Internal Leaders Assessment, use the Development Plan to identify two job specific skill areas for improvement. Following are some useful strategies for identifying key areas for development. The skill development areas should reflect those that are most critical to ensuring the candidate will be competitive for the future position. Gallup research has shown that the best way to develop people is to identify the ways in which they most naturally think, feel, and behave, then build upon those talents to create strengths. By focusing a few key areas most critical to the future position, those where there is capacity but not expertise, development activities are most likely to yield the greatest results. Page 7
Strategic Development of Internal Leaders Development Plan (to be use with the Assessment) Name: Position(s) Developing Toward: Based on the succession planning competency assessment, identify two job specific skill areas for improvement or one job specific and one general leadership area for improvement (as identified in the competency assessment). These skill development areas should reflect those that are most critical to ensuring the candidate will be competitive for the position. 1. Job Specific Skill Areas for Development (eg. effectiveness in working in diverse, complex environment): 2. Job Specific or General Leadership Skill Area for Development (e.g. setting and maintaining high standards of customer service): To complete the following development planning sections, following are some ideas for SMART goal development activities: On the Job Opportunities Taking on new projects or assignments Replacing people on vacation or temp assignment Assuming lead role responsibilities Off the Job Opportunities Joining/leading community groups Trying a new skill in a volunteer organization Giving presentations to civic groups Formal Training/Development Professional Technical Leadership Executive Self-Development Readings/Self-Study Professional Organizations College/University Programs Seminars Committees New ideas/programs/issues One-time events Presentations/Projects in development areas Assignments Rotational Stretch/temporary to fill vacation relief needs Delegated responsibility in key development area Cross-Moves Changing business lines/organizations Changing functions Line/staff shifts Working with new people Startups New team New system/service/process Develop in Place Mentoring Shift in size/scope of job (experience/perspective) Individual projects/tough challenges Page 8
Based on the identified skill areas, develop a SMART development goal for each. (SMART: Specific, Measurable, Action, Resonant, Timely.) For example, is the skill area is effectiveness in working in diverse, complex environment, then a development goal could be leading a cross organizational team to enact organizational change. 1. Development Goal / Job Specific Specific: (What is the exact goal you are trying to achieve? e.g. leading a cross organizational team to enact organizational change.) Measureable: (How will you know when you have achieved goal? e.g. team is deployed, analysis is completed, implementation plan is developed.) Action: (What is it that you will do to achieve goal? e.g. chair a cross-organizational team focused on organizational change initiative.) Resonance: (How does action and goal serve you? e.g. if can effectively influence without direct authority will be able to lead in a diverse, matrixed environment.) Timely: (When will you start specific actions and when do you expect to achieve goal? e.g. will begin committee appointment in one month and finalize project in six months.) Page 9
2. Development Goal / Job Specific or General Leadership: Specific: (What is the exact goal you are trying to achieve? e.g. initiating a customer performance standard and evaluating team based on performance feedback.) Measureable: (How will you know when you have achieved goal? e.g. when standard is established, results are measured, and team s performance is evaluated based on feedback.) Action: (What is it that you will do to achieve goal? e.g. determine performance standard based on best practices and available resources, communicate standard to customers, evaluate team s performance against standard and communicate results.) Resonance: (How does action and goal serve you? e.g. keeps me and team connected to customer s needs and experiences and enables me to make better choices as a result.) Timely: (When will you start specific actions and when do you expect to achieve goal? e.g. establish standard in one month, start measuring in two months and evaluate team against results in 6 months.) Page 10
January 2013 Step 4 Create Succession Plan As a result of your professional aspirations conversations (and assessments) with your direct reports, you should have some potential succession candidates for your position. It is important for every leadership position to have potential succession candidates. This practice ensures that UCSF has a plan in place for any potential change in leadership, whether such a change is the result of retirement, promotion, or a personal emergency. (If you do not have any potential succession candidates among your direct reports, UCSF HR will work with you and the organization to be sure a viable plan is in place.) Use the Succession Plan to outline succession candidates, skill gaps, and length of time required to develop necessary skills. Page 11
Succession Planning Confidential Succession Plan Position Incumbent Likely Duration in Position Potential Internal Candidates Years of Related Professional Experience Current Performance Rating Key Skill/ Experience Gaps Time Until Ready (Now, 1, 3, 5 years) Development Plan Goals Other Position (if person aspires to another role) Incumbent Likely Duration in Position Potential Internal Candidates Years of Related Professional Experience Current Performance Rating Key Skill/ Experience Gaps Time Until Ready (Now, 1, 3, 5 years) Development Plan Goals Page 12
January 2013 Step 5 Implement Development Activities A plan is only as valuable as its successful implementation. Be sure you are meeting quarterly with your direct reports to check in regarding progress and to ensure the development activities are going to yield the desired skill advancement. Use the following questions to help guide the check-in discussions: 1. What progress has been made to date in each of the goal areas? 2. Is he/she on target with actions and timelines for each development goal? 3. Based on the progress to-date, are the action likely to achieve the development goal (and build the necessary skill set) during the defined timeline? 4. What else could he/she be doing to advance the goal and further development in the key skill areas?. and Evaluate Impact of Plan Beyond evaluating the progress of your direct reports development, it is important to evaluate the impact of your succession plan overall. Use the following questions to help you evaluate the efficacy of your plan: 1. Are candidates listed the best internal candidates for the position? If not are there other potential internal candidates who should be targeted for position? 2. Are the development activities identified on target to effectively develop candidates within the desired timeframe? If not, can additional efforts be made to ensure there are succession candidates in the ready now; ready in 1 to 2 years; and ready in 3 to 5 years categories? 3. Would candidate pool, if effectively developed, support UCSF s commitment to diversity? If not, are there additional internal candidates who could be included in the candidate pool? 4. What else can be done to support effective succession planning in your unit? Page 13
Strategic Development of Internal Leaders Strengthens the Entire Organization With up 30% of managers (MSP s) likely to retire in the next three years, it is critical that UCSF begins planning for the future. UCSF s goal for June 2013 is to have succession and development plans in place for the top two tiers. These efforts will be expanded in the coming years so that focused development is taking place at all levels of the organization. By developing people toward advanced roles, we can ensure a highly skilled and engaged workforce which strengthens the entire organization and provides sustained leadership capacity into the future. Page 14
UCSF Human Resources - Specialty Center 3333 California Street, Suite 305, San Francisco, CA 94143-0832 415.476.3637 ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/strategic development aja.duncan@ucsf.edu