If we are looking for a blueprint for building an organization to deliver sustainable success in our business, look no further than NRL premiers, Penrith Panthers. Three premierships and four grand finals in a row after losing key players from their roster year-on-year. This success wasn’t built on luck, it was built on over a decade of meticulous planning, development and ongoing management of its most valuable resource, its people.
Sure, we are not elite sporting organisations and don’t always have the resources they have to draw on. However, there are some principles that we could take from them to build and maintain a team to deliver sustainable success.
- Clear vision – What our team will look like now and in the future.
- Proactive recruitment & retention – Attract and maintain the team with a balance of now and future.
- Invest in training & development – Optimize the performance of all people, regardless of the period that they will be there.
- Succession planning – Accept that there will be planned and unplanned personnel changes. Adopt a focus on proactive recruitment and development of pathway programs to ensure the organisation can handle the inevitable changes.
If we accept the people are the key to the success of our organizations, it’s incumbent on us leaders to follow the lead of the Panthers leaders and take a long-term and meticulous approach to the planning, development and ongoing management of our most valuable asset – our people.
