For some people, making New Year resolutions are as difficult as sticking to them. For a business, creating realistic goals for the future could be the defining factor in achieving success in 2009. At a fundamental level, it’s all about understanding your business, its people and the potential of both.

CHPD specialises in leadership and management training, and works closely with clients to help them achieve success. The company has trained over 18,000 leaders, and knows how to identify potential leaders and develop them to realise their true potential..

“A good place to start is to stop assuming you know your talent,” says Simon Foster, senior client director at CHPD. “At a time when positions are being cut, it’s never been more important to truly understand where the talent in your business lies. After all, how can you keep the best people if you don’t know who they are? Identify those who have real leadership potential, rather than people who are just good at what they currently do, and invest in them. With share prices and profits dipping, the people you have ‘locked in’ with share options and bonuses may have more possibilities open to them, and development is a key way to keep them on board and focused.”

Development is integral to success, and with budgets tight, it’s never been more important to match the right training course to the right person. “Look for development that enables people to use live work examples in the training and minimise their time away from the office,” continues Simon. “I would focus very clearly on development that addresses a specific need. Think also about the organisation and what skills it will need in order to survive a recession whilst gearing up to capitalise on the eventual economic upturn – cross-functional teamwork, creative thinking, etc. Get your talent population to implement and practise their training by working on key projects that will help to re-engineer the organisation and get it in good shape for the coming months.”

Communication is key to success as it sits at the heart of employee engagement; keep staff in the dark and they’ll feel disengaged. “With the current economic climate, your staff are likely be feeling vulnerable, so they need to be reassured that your business has a plan, is prepared and is welcoming of their ideas and initiative,” Simon adds. “The HR department has a key role in driving the management team to communicate regularly and effectively, particularly at the moment.”

Understanding the numbers in the business is imperative. This should extend beyond the HR stats into the wider business: “Sadly, there remains a view among some outside the HR world, that we’re a bunch of “fluffy” people,” Simon explains. “This may not be the case where you are, but there’s still no harm in making sure that you have a really good understanding of the commercial needs of the business. Ensure that any projects you’re looking to run are linked to clear business objectives and have measures in place to ensure ROI.”

It’s easy to read these suggestions and declare how manageable they are, but the important thing is to really set about achieving them. If you can do that, then 2009 will certainly have the potential to be a great one for you and your business. Happy New Year!