Your 2025 Resourcing Plan: Building Your Dream Team

As 2025 approaches, the right time to plan your team strategy for the new year is right now.

The team that has carried your business to this point might not be what you need for the next stage of your growth. This article walks you through resourcing plans, strategic hiring, and practical tools like the Clean Slate exercise, empowering you to enter the new year with clarity and purpose.

Why Plan Your Team Now?

November is the perfect time for team planning. But for many businesses it’s a busy time, and we end up in December before we have time to breath, and think. Leaving it until you return you’re your break means it’s too far into January and you have missed opportunities. So, whatever the season looks like for your business, quarter four is the time to plan for the new calendar year.

With a solid plan in place before year-end, you’ll hit the ground running when business resumes.

The Clean Slate Exercise: Building Clarity for the Future

The Clean Slate exercise is central to creating a robust team plan for 2025. This activity helps you visualise your ideal team without the limitations of current structures or roles. Here’s how to do it:

1. Start with a Blank Canvas
   Use tools like a whiteboard, butcher’s paper, or digital solutions like Google Docs or mind-mapping software. The goal is to start fresh, unburdened by your existing setup.
2. Forget About the Current Team
   This step may feel counterintuitive, but it’s essential. Mentally set aside your current team to allow space for unbiased brainstorming. You’ll address how your existing team fits later.
3. Define Your Ideal Role
   What would you, as the business owner, ideally like to focus on? Whether it’s innovation, marketing, or operations, your role should reflect where you bring the most value and find the most satisfaction.
4. Map Out Resourcing Needs
   Brainstorm every task that needs to be done, both now and in your envisioned future. Group related tasks, estimate time requirements, and organise them into logical roles or responsibilities.
5. Overlay the Current Team
   Compare your ideal structure with your current team. Identify where your current team members fit, which roles are redundant, and where there are gaps.
6. Highlight Hiring Priorities
   Your gaps will inform your hiring needs. Rank these by urgency, focusing on what will bring the most value or free up your time as a leader.

Developing Your 2025 Dream Team Hiring Plan

With your Clean Slate exercise complete, it’s time to formalise your hiring strategy:

• Define the Role
  Write a detailed position description outlining responsibilities, required skills, and expectations. Specify whether the position will be full-time, part-time, casual, or a contract role.
• Plan the Recruitment Process
  Decide where and how you’ll advertise the position. Set timelines for reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and onboarding.
• Streamline Decision-Making
  Clarify who will be responsible for hiring decisions and what criteria will be deal-breakers for candidates.
• Set Realistic Timelines
  Recruitment takes time. Be proactive to avoid delays that can impact your operations.

Aligning Your Team with Business Growth

As businesses grow, they transition through different phases:

• Idea-Powered: Built around the initial concept.
• You-Powered: The founder drives every aspect of the business.
• Person-Powered: Individual roles are defined but still siloed.
• Team-Powered: Teams emerge, but leadership remains centralised.
• People-Powered: Leadership evolves to focus on strategy, while teams independently drive operations.

Each phase requires different skill sets and structures. Recognising these shifts ensures your team evolves alongside your business.

Tips for Effective Team Planning

1. Think Long-Term
   Whether you’re envisioning the next year or the next five, plan with your ultimate goals in mind and reverse-engineer the steps needed to get there.

1. Focus on Your Strengths
   Structure your role and team to maximise your strengths and delegate areas where you add less value.

1. Communicate Changes Clearly
   Change can be unsettling. Be transparent with your team about why changes are necessary and how they align with the business’s goals.

Take Action Now

Preparing your team plan before the year ends sets the stage for a productive and successful 2025. Use the Clean Slate exercise to dream big, identify gaps, and prioritise strategic hires. With clarity and focus, you’ll ensure your business is ready to thrive in the next phase of its journey.

An Invitation

If you’d like to connect with other business owners, leaders, and managers, I’d love for you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, where you can connect with like-minded individuals to discuss all things HR:
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