I was recently asked by an executive team, "How do we start pulling a Succession Plan together? We believe we have many of the pieces already, but we don't know what to do with them."
That's a great question and a great position to be in.
The answer though, requires you to first be clear on what you really want your Succession Plan to do for you.
Once you're clear on that, you can then better appreciate how to start.
When most people think of Succession Plans, they imagine some document that outlines who's going to step up into a vacant spot when the current position-holder retires, moves up him or herself, or experiences the "hit by a bus" scenario - which is any emergency or unexpected situation that requires someone else to quickly step in temporarily or long-term. That singular focus type of plan is great and basically outlines who some of your "fall back" or "go to" people may be. That's good to know when you need to make a quick personnel decision.
So, back to the initial question: "How do we starting pulling a Succession Plan together?" I'd suggest you follow four initial steps:
1. Plot Your Organization Chart - Print out your organizational chart and list in each box the current position/position holder. Below that person's name, list the names of three to five people. List the names of anyone who could step in quickly at least on a temporary basis. Then, list the names of individuals who have the potential to be viable candidates for the position long-term -- if they have more time, training, and development opportunities. Print the names of anyone currently capable of stepping in and filling a position in black; print all other names in red.
If you have no name to put in a spot, put "???" and print those in red too.
2. Assess Your Chart - Review your color-coded organization chart. How much red are you seeing? Are you also seeing situations where you have one back-up person identified, but that person is planning to retire within the next few years? Do you have several positions where only one person knows or does the job and you simply don't have any other employees? In this type of situation, if you lose that person, who's going to do the work?
3. Prioritize Your Plan - For any position boxes that have more red than black, highlight the box in yellow or some other obvious color.
4. Plot Your Plan - Review the highlighted areas to determine "Hot Spots"
or priority areas. These Hot Spots are areas or positions that need attention quickly to develop skills, transfer knowledge, initiate cross-training and mentoring, or at least document critical procedures.
Though the above is a quick overview, once you know what you have - or don't have - you're better able to know where to start in Succession Planning. Be clear on what you want the plan to do for you. Then use your organizational chart to plot the direction and immediacy of your plan. Plot your plan to your organization's success.
Copyright 2008 - Liz Weber, CMC - Weber Business Services, LLC.
WBS is a team of Strategic Planning and Leadership Development Consultants, Trainers, and Speakers. Liz can be reached at liz@wbsllc.com or (717)597-8890.
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