The Human Resource: Investing in your employees

Posted by Warren Cook on November 24, 2017

From the moment you hire a new employee, you should be considering the competitive advantage you gain by developing the skills and capabilities of the employee. To do this effectively, examine the needs of your business to meet current skill gaps and when hiring fills these gaps with individuals who can make the most immediate and sustained impact for you.

However, do not neglect what your business future state will be, and as you look ahead three to five years and beyond, what are the products and services you are going to produce, and what competencies and experience will your organization need to thrive.

Three areas to consider when investing in your human capital:

(1) The current skills and experience needed to deliver your products and services today effectively.

(2) The future skills and experiences necessary to meet advancements in technology and processes of your business in the next 3-5 years and beyond.

(3) The skills you can provide through training and professional development that not only meets the current and future needs but creates an innovative and creative competitive advantage over the competition by having the most effective and productive employees.

For the third item above, this is more than just providing more sales, technical, or customer service training. This is about discovering how the capabilities of your workforce can meet and exceed the needs of your customers and both supporting and empowering activities that develop these capabilities for the workforce. Do not simply throw your money away by sending employees to random training classes that may align with your business goals. Instead, make the process strategic and intentional to enhance the overall organizational capability to achieve and exceed your business goals.

A pleasant side effect of implementing these strategic programs is increased loyalty, productivity, engagement, morale, retention, and trust in leadership. Commit some of your time and resources to professional development, invest in your people, and they will become invested in you.

About Warren Cook

Warren is the President and co-founder of SymbianceHR and provides strategic oversight for service delivery, business operations, and technical guidance on consulting engagements. He is a human resources subject matter expert with over 25 years of experience as a strategic human resources business partner, project manager, and people leader across private and public sectors organizations. Warren is responsible for the strategic planning of all client consulting engagements from initial needs assessment and compliance review through delivery of customized strategic solutions that meet the client’s business goals. He has a proven track record of providing executive coaching and guidance to business leaders and human resource professionals at all levels including the C-Suite of Fortune 100 companies. Warren is also the Chief Talent Officer and cofounder of SymbianceHiRe, a Symbiance company dedicated to providing direct placement talent acquisition services and temporary and contract staffing solutions to the business community. Warren holds a B.S. in Human Resource Management, an MBA in Project Management, and a M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Warren is the author of “Applicant Interview Preparation – Practical Coaching for Today.”