From Headcount to Capability: Reimagining Strategic Workforce Planning for a Volatile Future
Strategic workforce planning is undergoing a fundamental shift, from static headcount forecasting to dynamic capability building. In today’s environment of rapid technological change, evolving employee expectations, and persistent talent shortages, HR must rethink how they align workforce strategies with business priorities.
This session will explore how leading organizations are moving beyond traditional planning cycles to adopt agile, skills-based approaches that anticipate disruption and enable faster, more informed decision-making. Drawing on real-world examples and practical frameworks, this presentation will outline how to integrate data, scenario planning, and cross-functional collaboration into a modern workforce strategy. Attendees will gain insight into how to identify critical capabilities, close skills gaps, and build a resilient workforce that can adapt to uncertainty while maintaining a strong employee value proposition and driving long-term business performance.
Key Takeaways & Learning Objectives
- Shift from Headcount to Skills-Based Planning: Understand how to move beyond role-based models and build a workforce strategy centered on critical capabilities and skills.
- Leverage Data for Strategic Decision-Making: Learn how to use workforce analytics, external labor market data, and predictive insights to inform planning and reduce risk.
- Embed Agility into Workforce Planning Processes: Discover approaches to make workforce planning more iterative and responsive to changing business conditions.
- Align Workforce Strategy with Business Transformation: Explore how to ensure workforce planning is tightly connected to enterprise strategy, digital transformation, and growth priorities.
- Drive Cross-Functional Ownership and Accountability: Gain strategies to engage business leaders, finance, and HR partners in a shared approach to workforce planning execution.
Featured Speakers
Lisseth Zouhbi
Chief Human Resources Officer at Child Care Resource Center
She is a Chief Human Resources Officer, Board Member, Author, and Speaker dedicated to advancing people strategy, leadership, and organizational transformation.
As Chief Human Resources Officer at Child Care Resource Center, Lisseth brings 25 years of leadership and expertise to the HR field. With a career rooted in luxury hospitality — an environment where culture, service excellence, and people are paramount — she has built a proven track record in aligning HR strategies with business objectives while cultivating high-performing, thriving workplace cultures. Her expertise spans the full spectrum of HR functions, including talent acquisition, total rewards, employee relations, organizational and talent development, performance management, and compliance. Known for navigating complex challenges with a people-first mindset, Lisseth consistently bridges the gap between strategic vision and meaningful, measurable results.
Lisseth holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management from California State University, Fullerton, and is a graduate of the prestigious Chief Human Resources Officer Program at Wharton Executive Education. She also serves as a Board Member for Girls on the Run – Los Angeles, where she is committed to empowering the next generation of confident, purpose-driven young women.
This program has been approved for 1 HR (General) recertification credit hour toward aPHR®, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™, and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.
Additionally, this program has been pre-approved for 1.0 Professional Development Credits (PDCs) by the Society of Human Resource Management.
