6 Tips For Creating An Effective Succession Plan

Succession planning helps organizations prepare for a transition in leadership and puts structures in place to develop skills and competencies in employees.

It is estimated that 52% of small to medium sized organizations do not have a succession plan in place to replace senior leadership.

I’m always amazed at how many organizations fail to put the necessary time and thought into planning for the inevitable need to replace vital employees.

The simple truth is that employees take other positions, retire and sometimes die. Failing to address this issue is irresponsible leadership!

According to Wikipedia, “Succession planning is a process for identifying and developing internal people with the potential to fill key leadership positions in the company. Succession planning increases the availability of experienced and capable employees that are prepared to assume these roles as they become available.”

Organizations use succession planning to forecast the supply and demand of talent for key positions.

This is done by assessing the competency mix of knowledge and skill which is achieved by increasing employee training as defined by competency assessments.

In order for succession planning to fulfill its purpose, there needs to be a formal process to assess employees and their readiness for advancement within the organization.

6 Tips For Creating An Effective Succession Plan

1.  Make it a Priority

Organizations need to make succession planning a priority and commit the necessary time and resources to focusing on, and anticipating leadership transitions.

Focus should be on identifying which employees have the required skills and competencies to move to the next level.

Use that information to create a detailed and specific developmental plan to ensure the employee is ready to transition when a change in leadership is necessary.

2.  Devote Time to Planning

As with most organizational priorities, there is a necessary time commitment for succession planning initiatives.

Time should be allocated to senior management discussions to ensure the organization is ready for a leadership transition.

Succession planning needs to be a priority and should be part of an organization’s business strategy.

3.  Create a Talent Management Process

Create a defined and specific talent management process that includes identification of skills and aptitudes needed to perform job responsibilities.

For example, if the position requires a high level of emotional intelligence, the candidate may need testing and development of that competency.

There should also be discussions that help to identify potential talent as well as discussing strengths, weaknesses, skills, experience and developmental needs of the available employee pool.

Employee developmental plans should be part of a structured performance management system.  This focus should also include employee development by increasing employee responsibilities and providing mentoring for employees.

4.  Benchmark Talent

Benchmark the skill sets of other leaders in the marketplace to ensure the in-house talent pool is the most qualified for the job.

5.  Structured Transition Plan

Transitioning leadership can be a challenge if there is not a plan to address the obvious issues that come with passing the baton.

Spend the time to create processes that help the employee orient to the new job.

This simple step can minimize the downtime associated with leadership transitions and can help the newly promoted employee to hit the ground running.

6.  Create Employee Development Database

Organizations should create a database that tracks employee skill development.

Keep records of performance appraisals, employee development plans and all employee training.

Use this information to facilitate conversations about potential candidates.

Mistakes Organizations Make

• Not paying attention to the potential leaders within the organization and being unprepared for a leadership transition.
• Not having a process to assess internal talent.
• Failing to communicate an organization’s plan and desire to promote and develop potential leaders. This lack of vital communication can result in strong candidates seeking advancement and employment with other organizations.
• Not investing the time to mentor and coach potential leaders.
• Not providing developmental opportunities and experiences for employees.
• Not having senior leadership buy-in to the succession planning process.

An effective succession planning process improves employee engagement, commitment and retention.  It also helps with the talent recruitment and ever increasing recruitment costs.