Time Builds Perspective

I’ve worked at Wipfli for a long time—20 years to be specific. In that time I have seen many people come and go. I have seen younger coworkers grow and develop into great leaders. I have seen leaders before me retire and move into their next phase of life. And of course I have seen individuals with great talent and potential pursue opportunities outside Wipfli. These things happen at all organizations, but when you stay at one company for a long time you gain this sense of historical knowledge and understanding of how talent affects the trajectory of an organization’s success (or failure). When I look back over the last 20 years I’m amazed at the success and growth great talent has provided to build upon the services we offer and markets we serve.

I have worked with a number of talented consultants and leaders who have retired over the years, and it can make a big impact when that day finally comes. When it does, hopefully they have shared with us their knowledge and passion and the depth of experience that comes from a long and distinguished career. In most cases we have known for quite some time that the day would eventually come, so we’ve worked hard over the years to prepare. We’ve transferred knowledge over and over. We’ve used years of compounded expertise to build tools and processes and service lines. We’ve trained people on how to work with the tools and deliver on the processes. We’ve planned for the succession, we’re prepared, yet we know there will be a time of transition.

I’m sure many of you reading this have, are, or will go through something similar. As the qualified labor market continues to shrink, key leaders prepare for retirement, demographic shifts escalate, and employees redefine the workplace, banks need to be proactively engaged in developing and managing talent. But we get it—this can be hard to do in addition to researching and implementing  the newest technology, keeping up with the latest changes in regulation, building sales, and providing great customer service. That’s why we are here to help. We’ve built tools and processes to help you look at key talent, key positions needed to deliver on the strategy of tomorrow, and the skills needed for future success. So when turnover happens (retirement or otherwise) at your organization, you will be prepared. You can continue your trajectory of success. Click here to read an article titled Succession Planning: A Critical Talent Retention Strategy.