Look Behind You -
No One Is There (Part I)

By Gord Simmons

If you are a Manager at any level in almost any organization in Canada or the United States, the above title probably applies to you. For several years, studies conducted in Canada and the United States have pointed out that a leadership crisis is heading our way due to a projected shortage of qualified Managers.

As the little girl in Poltergeist said so clearly, “They’re here!”, it has now been confirmed by many studies and organizations facing the problem today, that the leadership crisis is looming large and quickly on the horizon.

Percentages of Managers retiring within the next three to five years range from 40% to a staggering 70%. This includes many senior people in organizations such as strategists, financial specialists, market experts and operational managers who are already in their 50’s ready to retire.

Unfortunately there are few qualified successors to take their place, and in some sectors, there is a severe shortage of qualified replacements.

The Dale Carnegie Group in a recent article titled, “Who Will Lead Your Business Four Years From Now?” indicated that most baby boomers would be retiring in 2010, leaving a huge talent gap. They also state that the number one need in business today is to hire, develop and retain those who will be leading at every level of their business.

A recent survey of 1300 companies, by Manpower Canada, shows that two-thirds of employers in Canada do not have a strategy in place to recruit or retain workers aged 50 or older.

To confirm the scope of the problem, we did some additional research on the Internet and suggest you might want to do the same. Google “Shortages of Qualified Managers” and be prepared for a lot of information on the “looming crisis” in almost every sector.

Up until recently organizations have simply recruited trained and experienced Managers from other companies. Given current and future shortages, this will not be a viable option much longer as the pool is drying up. Not only has this method been costly, it has proven to be ineffective. Studies by the Center for Creative Leadership have shown that “66% of senior managers hired from the outside usually fail or leave within 18 months.”

To compound the problem, the base from which we normally recruit and develop our future senior Managers is diminishing. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the number of 35 – 44 year olds will decline by 15%.

Our problem is exacerbated even more by the fact that during the downsizing era in the 90’s, many companies eliminated middle management positions, thus cutting off a vital career path for preparation to more senior level opportunities.

Coupled with this is the reality that far too many organizations have provided very little to no training to their current middle management cohort. This of course, means that there will be fewer qualified people available for the top management slots.

There are so few qualified individuals available, that those possessing the right mix of skills, training and education are aggressively sought out. This has also caused, in some cases, a rather significant increase in salary levels. What was, a few years ago, a valuable stable resource has become a transient workforce moving to the highest bidder.

Put all of this together, and you can see that the only way to combat this looming threat is to develop the talent you need from within your own organization.

The people within your own organization already possess a history with you. You are already aware of their work ethic and their level of loyalty, and would no doubt be familiar with their potential.

You can’t afford to wait much longer because your competitors are in the same boat as you are. They will be looking for new management people now or in the immediate future; don’t let them be yours.

You probably have people who are capable of moving up in your organization and you may already be doing some succession planning, but it is time to get into high gear by providing training and career guidance.

The market place is changing so quickly that organizations are already having a hard time forecasting what their industry will look like in five years, let alone who will be in the positions that will become vacant. It is now essential that you consider combining your business planning with development of future leaders.

By staying aware of business changes and continually improving the leadership skills of your existing staff, you will ensure that there are people ready to step into management positions at a moments notice.

Register to
OHSAS 18001 or Not?
by Tine Buechler

Did you know that everyday in Ontario Workplaces (including weekends) there is:

• 1 fatality
• 3 amputations
• 70 permanent impairments
• 500 Lost Time Injuries
• 1000 No Lost Time Injuries.

Each month the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board receive over 10,000 claims. With all the acts of legislation, both federal and provincial, people are still being injured and companies are still paying the consequences.

OHSAS 18001 is an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) that provides a framework that allows an organization to consistently identify and control its health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, help achieve compliance with health and safety legislation and continually improve its performance.  

OHSAS 18001 evolved from BS 8800 and many other national and private standards. These included Technical Report NPR 5001: 1997, SGS & ISMOL ISA 2000:1997, BVQI SafetyCert, DNV Standard for Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems(OHSMS):1997, Draft NSAI SR 320, Draft AS/NZ 4801, Draft BSI PAS 088, UNE 81900 series of pre-standards and Draft LRQA SMS 8800.

OHSAS 18001 provides an organization with a structured approach to planning, implementing and managing an OHSMS.  Initially it may be perceived that occupational health and safety can be a drain on resources and offering little in financial return. In practice, it has been shown that the financial costs of implementing and maintaining a system will be outweighed by reducing accidents and occupational illness, damage to equipment, the cost of fines and civil actions.  Compaq Computer Corporation achieved a 30% reduction in employee injuries in 8 months. This more than paid for the cost of implementation.

OHSAS 18001 has been developed to be compatible with the ISO 9001 (Quality) and

ISO 14001 (Environmental) management systems standards, in order to facilitate the integration of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems by organizations, should they wish to do so. All of these systems are based on Plan-Do-Check-Act and a process approach to auditing.

Implementing an OHSMS is now a legal requirement in many countries. Benefits of an OHMSM include:

• Reductions in staff absence
• Reduction in claims against the organization
• Reduction in adverse publicity
• Improved insurance liability rating – may equal lower insurance premiums
• Improved productivity
• A positive response from customers who want to deal with an organization with a proven health and safety record.
• Demonstrate an innovative and forward thinking approach.
• Increase access to new customers and business partners.

The ultimate goal of any health and safety management system is an accident free work force. A happier, safer work force is a more productive workforce. Minimizing or eliminating accidents means that the supply line won’t be disrupted by an incident at the manufacturing plant.