It is curious that succession planning isn’t talked about more, but completely understandable. Few people care to dwell much on the idea of being replaced, while business practices tend to counter the culture of succession planning and employee development.
I’d like to address that topic, but also explore what it means to do ‘succession planning’ in a different form, which is developing cover or multiple capable human resources to provide depth, breadth and backup to oneself.
Let’s begin by identifying the topics:
1. Management or Leadership Succession Planning
2. Cover Development
3. Employee Development
In this first of a two-blog series we will address Management and Leadership Succession Planning.
Back to the often-scary topic of succession. This task is counter-cultural to the unstated message companies send regarding higher paid, often more senior employees. So why would I, a senior, experienced leader want to work actively toward succession planning when my own livelihood could be in jeopardy if I prove that I am expendable? Great question! My answer to that is simple – it is the right thing to do.
As a leader, I am not self-existent. I believe that only God, the creator of this vast universe is self-existent. Are there any arguments from anyone reading this thus far? I didn’t think so, but if there are, I suggest you find a truth-telling magic mirror and ask it these same questions.
True leaders are more concerned about the success of others than they are about their own positions, titles and advancements. This is arguable, but if we apply the theory that managers do things right and leaders do the right things, it makes this definition of leadership easier to understand. As a leader of my team, I am focused on each of them and their success.
Our nature is to put ‘self’ first, so leadership must be something that we intentionally, persistently and consistently work at. We can’t put it aside because we are buried with work details, problems with irate customers, hurt or angry feelings or distracting minutia that is attempting to derail us.
Leadership is not an easy skill to develop and must first begin with the desire to lead. It is not a skill that we are born with. We can develop it by gaining that spirit or burning desire to help others be successful and then by honing methods and tangible skills to carry out our inner fire for leadership.
One of the essential traits of leadership is courage. It takes courage to view others as capable of doing our jobs effectively. For me that has at times initiated the building of an invisible but real emotional wall around me for protection. When I experienced that sensation, I was unable to clearly view those I was considering as successors to my position because they were on the other side of the wall. I had a tendency to compare the one on this side of the wall (me), to what I thought was on the other side of the wall (potential successor). Curiously enough, they never measured up. That certainly was not the correct approach to performing the analysis or ‘planning’ for succession.
There are, of course, situations where there truly is not a potential successor for us. So, what do we do in that situation? ‘Well’ (as President Reagan used to say), we find someone who has that potential. If we fail to find someone, we are exhibiting a lack of courage to do what is right. I have come to believe that not doing this will eventually erode the effectiveness of my team and possibly our company. After all, we can only hide weakness for so long until it is exposed.
Sometimes we have the luxury of hiring with succession in mind. Not long ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to build from scratch. With that came other challenges, but with succession planning in mind, if I was doing my hiring effectively, I had the advantage because I could hire people up front who would fit the sought-out model – to be my potential successor. This situation is as close to ideal as I have ever been.
As I excitedly put wonderful people in place to fill these critical roles on our sales and marketing team, I also looked out into the future at the end game for this team. One of them would sometime in the relatively near future replace me as the leader. They each already know that the process of developing them individually, and simultaneously evaluating their progress and readiness to take over my job, is underway.
If you do a great job preparing the next leader and as a team attain success, you will be rewarded by that achievement itself, no matter what other opportunities lie ahead. Your inner desire must be aligned with a laser-like focus and relentless pursuit of helping others become successful. If that occurs, your vision and mission will be jointly achieved.