Going Through the Motions of Succession Planning vs Building Leadership

Succession planning is not a once-a-year exercise or a box to check for the board. True succession planning is an ongoing, organization-wide process that develops future leaders, protects critical knowledge, and supports long-term business performance.

Management Planning vs. Succession Planning

Succession planning is a powerful talent management tool that companies use to identify top talent and develop leadership capabilities that will enhance corporate performance. Unfortunately, many companies just go through the “motions” and are simply management planning rather than succession planning.

So, what’s the difference?

Management planning chooses successors for top-level roles, those with a high degree of responsibility for business operations. Succession planning, on the other hand, is an ongoing process of identifying, developing and retaining future leaders and knowledge experts who will eventually move into critical roles, at all levels.

What Are the Signs That You Might Be Management Planning?

You may only be management planning if:

• • Your planning takes place on an annual basis, often to meet board requirements, then sits on a shelf collecting dust until the next year (even if key senior roles become vacant during the year).
  • Leaders show little engagement when asked to contribute content or names to the plan, because they don’t see value in the exercise.

  • Your leaders cannot articulate the importance and relevance of the plan, beyond the annual board requirement, and there is no perceived linkage to the objectives of the business.

What Effective Succession Planning Looks Like

An effective succession management program should be:

• • Implemented at all levels within the organization. Critical roles, those requiring in-depth expertise and would negatively impact the business if vacant, are not exclusively situated at the top of the corporate ladder!  They exist at all levels of the organization and therefore require robust succession and development planning regardless of the level.

  • An on-going, integrated process. While you may only need to discuss successors on an annual basis, each time a critical role becomes vacant the succession plan should guide who should be considered to fill the role, temporarily or permanently.  The plan should form the basis of other talent management initiatives such as leadership development, retention, recognition, performance management and recruitment.

  • Accompanied by strong development plans. When done well, succession plans incorporate ongoing dialogue and updates to guide the learning of the next set of skills needed for the role(s) for which successors have been identified.

  • A business imperative. The plan, which outlines the roles, successors, emerging leaders and desired skills and behaviours, will help the organization achieve its future direction and vision.

Are You Preparing for the Future or Just Checking a Box?

So, are you just going through the motions of management planning, or are you proactively building the future leadership and critical expertise your organization depends on?

Succession planning is a leadership responsibility, not an HR exercise.
Stratford supports organizations through leadership transitions and succession planning at every level, from CEO advisory and executive leadership support to leadership development and HR-led talent strategies. If you are preparing today’s leaders while building the next generation, we can help.

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This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.