By Phil Geldart on January 4, 2018
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published September 2011 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Discussions around succession planning are generally considered safe. After all, we’re talking about potential here, about people, only some of whom may … one day … possibly … be considered for a more senior job. This matters, yes, but it’s not really that big a deal. After all, who knows what the future will hold?
This approach to succession planning is, in my opinion, dead wrong.
It is a big deal. A VERY big deal. These people are, in fact, the future leaders upon whom the company will rely.
Succession Planning is essentially a process for ensuring key jobs, usually senior ones, have potential replacements “on the bench.” If we back up a step to look at who gets put on the bench as future talent, often one individual is earmarked as a potential successor for multiple jobs. This is natural with high performers. The decisions are usually discussed at the senior level. Once a candidate is confirmed, they are passed to HR or OD for development so that the best and most suitable employees will be ready when positions open up.
The approach sounds pretty straightforward, but a particular problem often surfaces. When the time comes to move Person A off the bench, usually after a significant training investment, the leader responsible for deciding who to move into their vacant position doesn’t want Person A. Person A is “not good enough” or “not strong enough” or “lacking the right chemistry” or “should never have been in the Succession Plan in the first place.”
This leads to the Succession Planning Imperative:
Every leader must agree to every candidate who makes the list for the Succession Plan, and be willing to bring any approved candidate into their department (after the necessary training) to fill any vacancy for which it has been agreed that they are a suitable candidate.
It cannot be an option for a senior leader to reject one of these candidates at some point in the future. If they believe that might be their response, they must refuse to include them in the Succession Plan in the first place.
It is also not all right to agree a particular candidate should go in the Plan, but “just not be earmarked for anything in my area.” People are often moved, promoted, or absorbed by other departments, and this may happen with any individual, including the one they didn’t really support.
Each senior leader must agree to, and be willing to accept into their group, any candidate they support as someone to be included in the Succession Plan. This direction must be firmly in place, or your Succession Plan will be seriously flawed.
Want to learn more? For details on succession planning, along with development tools and examples of best practices, download our Executive’s Guide to Succession Planning and Building Your Leadership Pipeline.