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Leadership Evaluation for Succession Planning at Mission Foods

Best known for its Mission Foods and El Guerrero brands, Gruma is the worldwide leader in corn flour and tortilla production. With operations in the United States, Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, and Europe, this organization set out to better understand the leadership capability throughout its various plants and locations.

For the past 7 years, DecisionWise has worked with Gruma and Mission foods in assessing leadership talent. This began with a Talent Assessment Process (TAP) conducted for each of Mission Food’s operating Plant Managers across more than 20 locations. Working in conjunction with Mission’s executive team, DecisionWise’s TAP was initiated to determine areas of individual and organizational strength, as well as areas for improvement.

Since that time, DecisionWise has conducted Talent Assessment Processes throughout Mission, and has included the assessment of leaders from Sales, Human Resources, Operations, Quality, and the Executive Team. These processes have been conducted for as few as one or two individuals at a time, or in groups of 40 or more simultaneously. The results of each TAP have been used for succession planning, individual development, organizational planning, and performance management.

During the past number of years, the Mission TAP has included:

  • Analysis and development of a core set of competencies which are essential for leaders throughout Gruma
  • Review of key operational metrics (sales, manufacturing, etc.) and current performance
  • Psychometric assessments, including critical thinking and decision-making, interpersonal skills, personality preferences, and conflict resolution style
  • Business acumen assessment
  • 360-degree feedback and debrief
  • Behavioral interviews to assess leadership potential (in both English and Spanish)
  • Analysis of individual goals for promotion and relocation
  • Talent Matrices, showing an at-a-glance view of organizational talent and potential successors
  • Extended coaching for High-potential employees and key individuals
  • Team development