Succession Planning – Preparing to Succeed

I think we can all relate to a time when we weren’t fully prepared for something in life. Whether it be writing a test, doing a speech, preparing a presentation, or anything else like that. The question to ask is, “How did not being prepared make you feel?” Did you feel anxious, nervous, stressed or perhaps have an empty pit at the bottom of your stomach? Being the perfectionist that I am, to me there is nothing worse than the feeling of unpreparedness. I think James Galway says it best: “Being unprepared heightens nerves!” Quite frankly, just the thought of being unprepared heightens my nerves!

That said, if being unprepared can have such a profound effect on individuals, just think of the effect it can have on a business or organization. Something as simple as the choice between being prepared or not being prepared for important business decisions can have disastrous consequences and profound effects on the business. As Alexander Graham Bell stated,

Excellent point Mr. Bell and I certainly am not about to question someone that was prepared enough to invent a telephone!

As a Workforce Development Manager with extensive management experience, succession planning for staffing needs can be very beneficial to the overall success of a business for many reasons. Hmmm… so what exactly is succession planning some might ask? Succession planning can be defined as identifying and developing individuals with the potential to fill other internal positions as they become available. You are prepared for staffing transitions such as retirement, leaves of absence or those that are completely unplanned and unexpected. When a business relies on staff members to perform specific duties and responsibilities; provide customer service excellence and meet business goals, it only makes sense to think about how this flow could be impacted if a key staff member were to leave. What a sigh of relief succession planning can bring when circumstances like this arise!

Additional benefits of succession planning are as follows:

1. Succession planning will ensure a business is prepared with a strategic plan in times of change such as restructure and upper management transitions. This is of utmost importance to keep continuity in service in addition to the level of service being provided.

2. Another benefit is clearly answered by the following question: “Why do good employees leave for opportunities outside of the company?” Many employees look for positions that allow for growth; training and development. Succession planning allows employees the opportunity to develop their strengths, grow to their full potential and enhance their career paths. This can be a huge win for a business with respect to recruiting and retention of top performers. Who doesn’t want to work for a company that invests in their people?

3. Succession planning also allows for a continued supply of cross-trained, qualified and motivated employees that can step in whenever the need arises. This provides a lot more reassurance of finding the “right fit” for a position rather than taking someone less qualified simply because the position needs to be filled.

4. Employee morale can improve as a result of succession planning as employees feel valued and supported. J.W. Marriott said it best: “If you take care of your employees they will take care of your customers and your business will take care of itself.” Enough said!

5. By being prepared with succession planning, there is a stronger alignment between the business vision and HR. The result of proper planning allows a better understanding of the staff required to meet the strategic plans and goals of the business.

6. Finally, a business can improve their external reputation as a result of succession planning as they will be known as a company that values, invests in and supports their employees. In other words, employers can benefit from treating their employees exactly the way they would want to be treated themselves.

Certainly, like anything, succession planning doesn’t come without its challenges and costs. It should not be rushed. Both time and money will be necessary in implementing a plan to identify existing employee’s key strengths and attributes; these strengths need to be aligned with existing roles within the company. In addition, time frames for retirements, promotions, leaves of absences, etc. need to be determined.

Undoubtedly training costs need to be determined and a schedule completed to ensure proper training is provided and cross-training of existing employees occurs. This is when the question comes up: What happens if we invest in all of this training and an employee still leaves? The answer is quite simple: What if you didn’t and they stay? Again, better to be prepared than unprepared.

Of course, the choice to be unprepared or prepared with respect to staffing needs is yours to make. To prepare or not to prepare… to succession plan or not to succession plan.  With that said, I will leave you with this final quote from Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

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