The art of great succession planning

Many organisations treat succession planning as a compliance exercise. HR sends a form, managers will fill it in, then nobody looks at it again until someone hands in their notice, at which point a succession fight ensues.

All of which is not really succession planning. At best, it’s wishful thinking in a spreadsheet.

In my experience - and some of my clients do this really well - real succession happens daily. It occurs in the conversations managers have with their people, the ‘stretch’ opportunities they create, the coaching they provide without being asked.

They provide multiple people with the opportunity to grow, fully aware that the most determined and disciplined to succeed (not loudest and most confident) will rise to the top. These people don’t need a structured programme to rise, they just need a manager that pays attention and is prepared to sacrifice their time to help them.

Leadership and culture should never depend on one person. However, it does depend on everyone being developed as if they might be next.