Building Success Profiles
The Second Step in the Succession Planning Process
SIGMA Success Profiles™: The Foundation of a Robust Succession Strategy
Job descriptions are fundamental to defining roles within an organization, but they often fall short in capturing the evolving nature of work. In a rapidly changing business environment, it’s essential to have a dynamic understanding of what each role entails, not only in the present, but also for the future. Traditional job descriptions fall short in this regard. They provide a static view, which can be limiting for organizations where adaptability and continuous skill development are key to success.
SIGMA Success Profiles™ are more than traditional job descriptions. They provide a detailed overview of the competencies, skills, and experiences necessary for a role, both now and in the future. These profiles encapsulate the very essence of a role and can be foundational tools for succession planning and talent development.
What are SIGMA Success Profiles?
SIGMA Success Profiles are holistic blueprints that provide organizations with a strategic understanding of their critical roles. These profiles aren’t just stagnant documents; they’re living tools that can be updated as organizational needs change and industry trends evolve. SIGMA’s Success Profiles are unique in that they capture the present landscape, while also anticipating the competencies that will become pivotal for a critical role in the future.
SIGMA Success Profiles vs. Standard Job Descriptions
SIGMA Success Profiles and job descriptions are distinct but complementary tools. While job descriptions outline duties and responsibilities, SIGMA Success Profiles delve deeper into the underlying competencies required for a role. In addition to duties and responsibilities, SIGMA Success Profiles highlight the skills, experiences, and competencies that are essential for success in a particular role. They are designed to match an organization’s core values and prioritize competencies that are critical to achieving the organization’s mission and vision. This match ensures that the methods used to evaluate and develop employees are consistent, relevant, and strategically aligned. SIGMA Success Profiles are not just tools for personal career growth; they also enable organizations to pinpoint and invest in key areas for collective development. This holistic approach helps to optimize the effectiveness of time and money spent on employee selection and development.
The Benefits of Building SIGMA Success Profiles
Creating SIGMA Success Profiles involves envisioning a roadmap for the future while efficiently addressing present organizational needs. Consider the organizational benefits that SIGMA Success Profiles provide:
- Future-proofing. SIGMA Success Profiles elevate an organization’s ability to evolve. By looking beyond the present and incorporating future needs, organizations can proactively prepare for impending challenges and transitions.
- Enhanced talent development. A clear SIGMA Success Profile paves the way for targeted and impactful training. Organizations can ensure that their resources are spent efficiently and are aligned with specific development needs.
- Clear recruitment and succession. SIGMA Success Profiles serve as an anchor for candidate evaluation, streamlining the recruitment process and ensuring that the best talent is selected to fill designated roles.
- Alignment with organizational values. A well-crafted SIGMA Success Profile takes organizational values into account, ensuring every role is in line with the organization’s overarching mission, vision, and objectives.
- Role transparency. Many organizations operate with outdated job descriptions or lack them altogether. SIGMA Success Profiles offer a comprehensive understanding of roles, meeting this critical need for clarity and transparency.
- Bias prevention. SIGMA Success Profiles are developed using input from multiple stakeholders. While the incumbent provides the bulk of the insights, colleagues also contribute, offering a broader view of the role’s requirements. This multifaceted approach reduces personal biases and contributes to a well-rounded understanding of the role.
- Enhanced collaboration. Understanding competencies required for a role, even from those in different departments or projects, fosters collaboration. Recognizing the competencies that others depend on for their roles promotes interdepartmental synergy and cohesion. In essence, SIGMA Success Profiles not only provide clarity and direction for individual roles but also foster a culture of collaboration and forward-thinking within organizations.
Why Work With Us?
The process of crafting SIGMA Success Profiles requires depth, foresight, and nuanced understanding. At SIGMA, we are more than just consultants; we are partners on the journey towards organizational excellence. Our rigorous and tailored approach ensures each profile is aligned with your organization’s culture and is primed for integration into your HR and talent management processes.
Attempting to develop SIGMA Success Profiles without an effective roadmap — or foregoing the process entirely — can lead to a host of challenges. SIGMA can guide you in overcoming these challenges and prepare your organization for sustainable future success. We will help you:
- Develop talent intentionally. Without an effective SIGMA Success Profile, organizations risk directing their valuable time and resources toward developing a candidate in ways that don’t truly align with the demands of the role. This can result in wasted effort and missed opportunities. SIGMA’s consultants focus on aligning development strategies with the actual demands of the role, ensuring that your resources are optimally utilized.
- Be objective. The absence of a well-defined SIGMA Success Profile can introduce subjective biases into the development process. Instead of an intentional, competency-driven approach, decisions may be based on individual perspectives, leading to unequal opportunities and potential overlook of valuable talents. SIGMA consultants provide a structured and unbiased framework, emphasizing competencies over personal biases, ensuring fairness and clarity in the development process.
- Anticipate future needs. SIGMA Success Profiles are not just about the present; they are equally about preparing for the future. Without this foresight, an organization may develop leaders based on today’s needs, neglecting the evolving competencies that will become crucial tomorrow. As roles evolve, the skills required can change. Throughout the process, SIGMA consultants emphasize the importance of forward-thinking preparation to ensure that individuals are ready for these changes.
- Set clear boundaries. Succession planning must differentiate between the unique attributes of an individual and the essential competencies of a role. Without clear SIGMA Success Profiles, this distinction becomes murky. While incumbents might perform adequately, it’s crucial to identify the core competencies that ensure success in a role, regardless of the individual. SIGMA consultants identify the difference between individual traits and role-specific competencies, offering a clear roadmap for development that transcends individual variances.
- Collaborate with all stakeholders. Our engagement with stakeholders, from role incumbents to leadership, ensures the resulting SIGMA Success Profiles are not just theoretical constructs, but resonate deeply with those who use them.
Our Process
SIGMA’s approach to Success Profiles is thorough, collaborative, and adaptive. Here’s how we make it happen:
- Identifying critical roles. Our journey begins with a deep dive into understanding your organizational structure. This allows us to pinpoint the roles that truly drive your business forward and ensure they’re given the spotlight they deserve.
- Engaging key stakeholders: Crafting an effective SIGMA Success Profile requires the involvement of those who live and interact with the role daily. From individual contributors to managers and direct reports, we weave in insights from all levels to create a profile that’s both comprehensive and actionable.
- Future-oriented profiling. Armed with industry insights and an understanding of future trends, SIGMA’s consultants ensure that each SIGMA Success Profile is not just about today but also about tomorrow, next year, and beyond.
- Adapting to change. The business world is ever-evolving, and so are SIGMA Success Profiles. Periodic updates and revisions ensure they remain relevant, addressing new challenges and harnessing new opportunities.
The SIGMA Advantage
Creating Success Profiles with SIGMA is a decision to align your organization with expertise, experience, and excellence. With SIGMA’s Success Profile development service, you won’t just develop SIGMA Success Profiles, you’ll be improving your organizational processes. With resources such as our specialized SIGMA Success Profile™ template and other in-depth tools and templates, we empower your team at every stage. The benefits of working with SIGMA to help your team create Success Profiles include:
Data-Driven Methodology
Our tools, templates, and exercises don’t just standardize the process; they bring precision and clarity, underpinned by data.
Expertise and Experience
Utilize our team’s deep expertise in succession planning, honed by years of working across diverse industries and organizational structures.
Customized Approach
No two organizations are the same. Our solutions are tailored to fit the unique needs, culture, and strategic objectives of each client.
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Meet the Team
Erica Sutherland, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant & Executive Coach
Erica completed her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational psychology at Western University. She is a Senior Consultant at SIGMA, where she delivers consulting services and Succession Planning solutions to clients. As a member of SIGMA’s executive coaching team, Erica works one-on-one with leaders to develop talent. She also brings her expertise in measurement and psychometrics to the R&D team, assisting with the development and validation of SIGMA’s many assessments.
Brittney Anderson, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant & Executive Coach
Brittney is a member of our coaching and consulting team. She brings her expertise in evidence-based practice to provide companies with leadership solutions that meet their needs. Primarily, Brittney helps her clients prepare for their future with succession planning and comprehensive leadership development programs. As an executive coach, she helps leaders hone their skills using a process-based approach to development.
Arieana Thompson, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant
Arieana is a senior leadership consultant. She believes in positively transforming the modern-day workplace through thought-provoking, evidence-based insights. Arieana is a subject matter expert in executive leadership, succession management, wellness cultures, and employee growth. In her work at SIGMA, she supports executive teams with succession planning and leadership development and assessment.
Ready to Get Started?
Understanding the nuances of roles, both for today and the future, is pivotal for any organization’s longevity and growth. SIGMA Success Profiles not only lay the groundwork for targeted assessments, but also pave the way for impactful development programs. Without a clear grasp of what’s vital for success, organizations might find themselves at a crossroads when preparing for the future. For those who are keen on strategic foresight and ensuring their teams are equipped for tomorrow’s challenges, it is essential to start with a solid foundation. Contact us to learn how SIGMA Success Profiles can provide that cornerstone for your organization.
Speak with a Succession Planning Expert
Glen Harrison is an organizational transformation consultant and succession planning expert. Over the course of his career, Glen has worked with one-third of the Fortune 500 list and with every level of government in Canada and the United States. Having worked with numerous clients to build robust succession plans from the ground up, Glen has extensive experience in the application of SIGMA’s products and services to help organizations realize their people potential.
What’s Next?
SIGMA Success Profiles are just the beginning. Once you have a clear blueprint of each critical role, the next step in SIGMA’s 6-step succession planning process is to nominate high-potential talent. Are you ready to spotlight the future leaders of your organization and unlock the potential within?
Resources
If you’re not ready to create SIGMA Success Profiles yet, SIGMA offers an array of resources and webinars that can help you prepare before you embark on the journey. These resources also provide a glimpse into our expertise and approach: