Strategic People Planning Isn’t Just for the Big Guys
Succession, Skills Gaps & Career Maps – oof!
When you hear “succession planning,” your first thought might be a corporate soap opera (cue dramatic music and a hella tense boardroom scene). Or, if you’re Linds, you’re reminiscing about the 2nd greatest HBO show of all time. But in the real world, especially the small business world, strategic people planning isn’t about crowns and coups. It’s about staying ready, not getting caught off guard, and actually building the kind of workplace people want to grow with, not out of.
So, let’s dig in. September’s topic is Strategic & Talent Development, and here’s what that really means (without the dramatic music):
1. Succession Planning = “What If” Insurance
What happens if your right-hand person suddenly moves across the country, burns out, or wins the lottery? Who steps in?
Succession planning is about identifying key roles at every level and building in backup plans. We’re talking cross-training, mentorship, and giving people room to step up when the moment comes.
🛠️ Try this: Make a list of roles that would make you panic if someone left tomorrow. Then start small: could someone shadow them once a week? Could you document their processes in Notion or Google Drive? Boom… you're succession planning.
2. Workforce Planning & Forecasting = Hiring with Foresight
Most businesses hire reactively: someone quits, you scramble, repeat. But workforce planning is about asking:
What will our team need 6, 12, 18 months from now?
What roles will grow or shrink as we evolve?
Especially in fast-changing industries like wellness, hospitality, or cannabis, planning ahead means you’re not always in panic-hire mode. It also helps you spot where roles might be merging, expanding, shifting, and prevents overhiring.
Try this: Look at your business goals for the next year. What kind of skills, roles, or capacity will you need to get there?
3. Leadership Development Isn’t Just for Managers
Want people to stick around? Show them there’s a future for them.
Leadership development can be as simple as giving someone a project to lead, or looping a team member into big-picture planning conversations.
People thrive when they’re seen and stretched. And no, this isn’t just for the obvious “high potentials”. It’s for the quiet steady rockstars, too.
Try this: Identify 1–2 team members who could take on more responsibility this fall, and talk to them about where they’d like to grow.
4. Skills Gap Analysis = Stop Guessing
Ever feel like your team should be able to do something... but can't? That’s a skills gap. And the only way to fix it is to name it.
A skills gap analysis helps you compare the skills you have with the ones your business actually needs. This isn’t about blaming anyone or throwing shade. It’s about finding the right development or hiring path forward.
Try this: List your top 5 business priorities. What skills do they require? Who on your team currently has those? What’s missing?
5. Career Trajectories = A Reason to Stay
If you want to retain good people, they need a sense of direction.
Even if your org is small and flat, you can still create career maps: opportunities for people to grow their skills, shift into new roles, or specialize. Growth can simply mean mastering something or leading in a new way.
Try this: Ask each team member, “Where do you want to be in a year?” and “What would make you feel like you’re progressing here?”
TL;DR:
Strategic talent development is about making intentional decisions to grow your team on purpose, not just by accident.
So this September, grab a coffee, gather your leadership team (even if that’s just you), and start mapping out what your team needs to succeed – now and later.
Because growth is about people, potential, and planning. Not just headcount.
