A succession plan should identify those employees who currently have the skills needed to become leaders, as well as those who possess critical knowledge or hard-to-replace skills. There are Succession Planning tools and Transition Guides online to help.
Managers and administrators need to recognize that a succession plan safeguards the long-term viability of the organization. It can also be used to identify skill gaps in their employees which should be addressed with professional development opportunities.
On-Demand Webinar from CCL:
Implementing an Effective Succession Process
Many organizations in North America and the rest of the world soon will be facing a significant number of retirements. And, simply put, there will not be enough people to replace those who are leaving. One of the strategies organizations are investigating and implementing involves various succession processes. Not all of those processes are equally effective and often the literature in this area is helpful only in a very general way. This Center for Creative Leadership Webinar focuses on succession processes and how to implement them effectively.
There are actions an established leader can take to prepare an organization and its future leaders before reaching retirement.
In 2004 leaders were asked what steps should be taken in order to prepare the field for the challenges it faces in the future. The resulting paper summarizes the views of 36 leaders nationally. The complete report can be found on the Partners for Recovery Web site.
There is a difference between management and leadership.
Need training instruction that has uniformity in what we train; quality assurance.
Leadership development needs to be comprehensive and systemized.
Ignite the passion; make people feel they are part of something bigger and that they are being professionally developed.
Set expectation for current leaders making it clear that it’s their responsibility to groom and train leaders.
Professionals themselves also have responsibility to let others learn by doing; create culture around that for their own training.
When attending training, people serve as ambassadors for their agencies.
Do environmental scan for the need of leadership training
Find ways to integrate learning from training back into working environment
Create and sustain support mechanisms for leadership growth
Support learning opportunities outside our field
Facilitate continuing networking and relationships
