Is Your Team Prepared?
Written By: Cheron Smalls | HR Director | Warren Whitney
Is Your Team Prepared?
As you plan for next year, consider what your people need to carry those plans forward.
If your most reliable employee were out for six weeks, what would stop? The answer says a lot about how ready your team is for next year.
I once worked with a technology director who knew an organization’s systems inside and out. He was a founding employee and built many of those systems himself. Two junior employees worked alongside him, but he still held much of the knowledge.
As part of business continuity planning, the organization identified that gap. The director documented key processes, trained his colleagues, and gave them opportunities to handle situations independently. About two years later, he left to start his own business. The team was ready. Critical functions continued, and one of the remaining employees moved into a management role.
“It was a disappointment, but it wasn’t a panic.”
That preparation protected the organization. It also gave employees the experience they needed to take the next step in their careers. As you plan for 2027, how prepared is your team for what comes next?


