A couple of years ago, I wrote about what firms should do when a key employee leaves. One of my recommendations was simple: look to your bench.
Instead of immediately going outside the firm to replace someone, consider whether a member of your existing team is ready—or could be made ready—to step into the role.
That advice may be even more relevant today.
Firms are navigating changing skill requirements, new technology and AI, evolving client expectations, and an increasingly competitive market for experienced talent. At the same time, research suggests organizations are facing an “experience gap”: they need people who can step into greater responsibility, but employees need opportunities to gain that experience in the first place.
That is exactly why bench strength matters.
The catch I wrote about previously still exists: you cannot promote from within if you haven’t prepared anyone to move up. Developing your bench shouldn’t begin when someone gives notice. It should be happening continuously.
And it isn’t the responsibility of one person or the HR department. It needs to become part of the firm’s culture.
When you’re developing someone for greater responsibility, start with a few questions:
- What could their next role be?
- What skills do they already have, and what skills or experience are missing?
- How will they develop those skills—and who will coach or mentor them?
- What teams, clients, and projects will give them the experience they need?
- What leadership responsibilities can they begin taking on now?
- And importantly: where does the employee want to grow?
That last question matters. Career development isn’t simply preparing someone for the position you think they should have. It’s understanding their interests and finding the intersection between the firm’s future needs and the employee’s aspirations.
Today, I’d add another question to the list:
- What skills will this role require two or three years from now?
AI and other technologies are changing how work gets done, but they’re also increasing the importance of distinctly human capabilities such as judgment, coaching, communication, leadership, and decision-making. Deloitte’s research, for example, found that 74% of workers, managers, and executives consider human capabilities very or critically important.
So don’t develop employees only for today’s job description. Develop them for where the firm is going.And give them opportunities to practice before the promotion happens.
Let a future project manager lead part of a client meeting. Let an emerging leader mentor a junior employee. Put someone on a project that stretches their technical or business-development skills. Give employees exposure to decisions they wouldn’t normally see.
Those experiences build something a training course alone cannot: judgment and confidence.
This doesn’t happen overnight. In my original post, I suggested taking the time to build an intentional development plan rather than rushing someone into a new role. I still believe that.
But I’d go further today: bench development should never really stop.
Talk openly with employees about where the firm is going. Have regular career conversations. Understand what they want to learn. Give them meaningful opportunities to stretch. Let them know where you see potential—and what they need to demonstrate to reach the next level.
When employees can see a future for themselves inside the firm, development becomes more than training. It creates engagement, opportunity, and ownership. LinkedIn’s recent workplace-learning research likewise finds that organizations emphasizing career development and internal mobility are more confident in their ability to attract and retain talent.
That’s ultimately what a strong bench is: people who understand the firm’s goals, see an opportunity to grow with it, and are prepared to step up when the opportunity comes.
Don’t wait until someone leaves to find out whether you have a bench.
Build it now.
If you firm is looking for proven strategies to build your bench, DBI is has been providing recruiting and consulting support to the Architecture industry for over 20 years. Reach out to us today!
