Succession Planning: How to Prepare for Leaders Leaving [VIDEO]

There are over 275 million cars registered in the United States, and we are inching our way closer and closer to having cars that can drive themselves. Self-driving cars have a combination of lasers, cameras, sensors, and sonar that the car uses to paint a picture for what it needs to do to move forward on its own. We have self-driving cars, but there is no such thing as a self-driving organization. Every organization requires leadership.

You have probably been told to prepare for getting hit by the proverbial “bus” and what will happen in your organization if somebody does get hit by that bus. In reality, barely one person gets hit by a bus each day in the United States, so getting hit by a bus should not be your greatest worry! However, 3,800 people die each day from cancer and heart related illnesses. This means that something could go wrong in your organization and cause a gap in leadership. One of your key players could come down with an illness. They could have to step out of their role. They might even suddenly quit. Any of these scenarios could put your organization at risk, but succession planning provides continuity of leadership for when the unexpected happens.

Here are four key steps that will help you plan for succession and be prepared.

1. Identify: What are the most mission-critical positions?

First, identify the critical positions in your organization. What are the positions that if something happened to one of those leaders or managers, your organization would struggle and experience serious consequences very quickly?

2. Ask: What would happen if…?

Second, ask yourself, “What would happen if…?” Meaning, what would happen if you lost that key person, supervisor, leader, manager, or owner? What would happen in your organization today? What would happen tomorrow? What would happen next month?

3. Discuss: Make succession a normalized part of the organization’s vocabulary and practice.

The third thing you can do to prepare for succession is to discuss it. Make discussion of succession a regular part of your organization's vocabulary. Don't be afraid to talk about it. People will eventually retire. People will eventually want to step down. People will eventually get sick. Having succession be part of your vocabulary helps to normalize it and make it less awkward.

4. Plan: Who is retiring when? How strong is your emerging leadership bench?

The final step to prepare for succession in your organization is literally plan. Take the time to start mapping out who could step into someone’s shoes if they needed to, both in an emergency situation or for the long term. Take the time to look at the person, look at the responsibilities, and look at your bench and decide who has talent, who could be developed, and where you might need to make an outside hire.

Succession protects the organization by providing continuity of leadership should the something happen like a major health event or accident, or someone quits or decides to retire. Contact us to learn how our experienced consultants can assist you in planning for the future of your organization.

Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.