Ask anyone who works in human resources or a people profession now and they'll tell you how busy they are. In over 30 years of working in the corporate HR, consulting, and training field, I have never known such a busy or challenging time, but this also brings fantastic opportunities!  



The challenges have been brought on not only by the Covid pandemic, which means a significant percentage of your employees may be working from home but also by the carryovers from Brexit. Covid has left its mark, especially in the hospitality and retail sectors.

While working from home has brought many advantages for both employers and employees, it has also made it more challenging for managers. More than ever, it's essential that as a senior leader or business owner, you consider how you can build your team to future-proof your business and ensure your leaders can deliver on your business vision.  

Lately, I've heard this phrase a lot and I'm sure you will too: “It's said that people don't leave a bad company, they leave a bad boss. Bad managers are usually not intentionally bad, they just need guidance, support, and development.

If this is your business, or even if it isn't there are things you can do now to make a difference. It is an employee market, with over a million vacancies in the UK alone. It's too late by the time your best employees are headed out the door, as they will have felt unmanaged, undervalued, or indeed robbed by your competitor with a better salary or incentive to join.

 I can safely say that as a diagnostic tool, it has become essential to resetting the leadership talent pool in 2022.  

You can start this process for your business now. Get 2022 off to a good start by supporting, guiding, and developing you and your leaders.  

1. Evaluate  

Find out what the strengths and limitations of your leaders and teams are. This may seem like a daunting task, but by using the behavioral framework already written for you (based on the look of success and 20 years of research), you can quickly customize your questionnaire. You have a choice of thirty-two key behavior areas and you can modify any of the words, which means you can also add your own frameworks if you have them. And of course, all 360 are accessible online and available in more than fifty languages, which also makes it easy to create international programs. 

2. Guide 

Set an example. Get involved, and show your managers and employees that you are serious about their development and career. It's often a good idea to get a third party to help with this and that's where Thomas can help. It is essential to have an expert to help explain the assessment tools and results and to have a model personal development plan.  

Most of my clients ask our experienced trainers to support them with feedback, as this is key to maximizing the use of 360-degree feedback.  

These coaching meetings don't just focus on 360 results and can spark discussions to explore barriers to success. Skillfully done, your leaders will thank you for these meetings.  

A question I am frequently asked is at what level do I start in the business? Ideally, at the highest level is a great place. The benefits of this can be cascaded throughout the industry  

Also, some organizations say they are not yet ready for 360: "we don't have the right culture." This is the perfect time to use 360 ​​as a change facilitator. With hundreds of projects under my belt, I have never had a client who has not benefited from the process. You are in control of all stages of the process.

3. Develop and support

Once you get to this stage, what happens next? Don't get stuck. Establish an action plan and make sure your management team is on board and fully understands the next steps.  

On top of this, high-performing managers used to a face-to-face environment may find it more difficult to manage remote employees. Supporting these managers to get the best out of their people by evaluating and tracking their progress with Thomas 360 gives them the best possible chance of success.

In conclusion, my advice is to act now to safeguard your leaders, managers, and employees. Use Thomas's profitable tools to get things up and running and engage a freelance person from HR to help you along the way, as this adds an objective freelance professional, who will also be there to help you and your team.