Many organizations struggle to fill open roles because they focus on replacing titles instead of identifying the skills the role truly requires.
In this article:
Learn how shifting from role-based thinking to a skills-based workforce model can improve hiring, development, and organizational performance.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on skills rather than job titles. Identifying the capabilities that drive success leads to better hiring and workforce planning decisions.
- Use assessment tools and development plans to close gaps. Structured evaluation and targeted development help strengthen critical skills across the organization.
- Treat vacancies as strategic reset points. Each departure provides an opportunity to reassess what success in the role should look like today.
“We lost our controller. We need to hire someone new.”
This is a phrase I’ve heard many clients say over the years. But what they really mean is: “We lost someone who is detail-oriented, reserved, and analytical. We need to replace those skills.”
So often, when we are doing any version of workforce planning such as replacing a vacancy, creating a new role, or determining a succession plan, we think in terms of roles or titles. If you are fortunate enough to be a more evolved organization, you may reach beyond titles and consider responsibilities.
However, particularly in middle market, privately held companies, we often don’t have the luxury of narrowly scoped responsibilities. People wear many hats. That is why it’s critical to think about your workforce in terms of skills, not just roles and responsibilities.
This process can feel intimidating at first, but I promise you that by following a few specific steps, you can design your organization to be skills-based, resulting in greater profitability, productivity, and overall employee satisfaction.
Five Steps to Designing a Skills-Based Workforce
1. Evaluate what good performance looks like for the role.
Start by asking yourself a simple question: “What makes someone successful in this role?” Your answers will help identify the skills required. Typically, the answers aren’t responsibilities like “preparing month-end reports,” but skills such as “the ability to produce and analyze detailed month-end reports.” Preparing reports is a responsibility; being analytical and detail-oriented are skills.
2. Identify the desired behaviors for the role.
This step naturally builds on step one. Once you understand what success looks like, consider the behaviors that enable those skills. For example, if being detail-oriented is critical, the behavior that supports that skill is precision. If a role requires proactivity, the behavior that encourages it might be restlessness or a strong sense of urgency.
3. Identify tools to measure the needed skills and behaviors.
While it is possible to identify skills and behaviors manually, there are many tools on the market that help streamline this process. We recommend the Predictive Index to our clients, and even use it internally at Kreischer Miller. The tool is simple, affordable, and delivers actionable insights that support smarter hiring and development decisions.
4. Design targeted development plans to close potential gaps.
It’s important to remain realistic. Sometimes we have to make compromises with the talent available in our organizations or in the market. We don’t always find the “purple unicorn,” so it’s critical to design development plans that help close gaps in skills that are necessary for the role. These plans may include training, mentoring, coaching, or even role sharing or redesign.
5. Treat every vacancy as an opportunity to start again at step one.
There is no rest for the weary. Turnover, even in the most effective, skills-based organizations, is inevitable, whether due to growth, retirement, or change. Vacancies are the perfect opportunity to pause, evaluate, and ask again: “What does good performance look like for this role today?”
This process can and should be repeated many times. It may feel overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to happen all at once. Start small: one role, one department, or one departure. Over time, your organization will evolve into a truly skills-based workforce, resulting in lower turnover, higher engagement, and greater productivity.
Turning Skills-Based Thinking into Action
Designing a skills‑based workforce doesn’t require a full organizational overhaul or a perfect starting point. As roles evolve and turnover occurs, each vacancy becomes an opportunity to pause, reassess what success truly looks like, and make more intentional talent decisions. Over time, these small, thoughtful steps can lead to stronger alignment, higher engagement, and more resilient teams.
If your organization is seeking support navigating workforce planning, skills assessment, or development strategies , we are here to help. Please reach out to Bobbi Kelly, Director-in-Charge of Talent Advisory, or visit our Talent Advisory services page to learn more.