Who's next?

My local church has run into a problem.

The guy who organizes one of our ministries: teaching English to new migrants who have no English, has become too unwell to continue.

He randomly asked a couple of the more able teachers if they would take over his role jointly. Big surprise (to them and to him): they said no.

The organizer called this 'succession planning'.

I'd call it a panic.

This is how 'succession planing' really works.

Take my business example.

I had 9 direct reports managing a total of about 80 staff in professional services in a multi-billion dollar operation.

The one who was obviously most on-fire: competent, energetic, knowledgeable, insightful I spotted as soon as she started working in the division. I kept her close: asked advice, bounced ideas off her, shared the development of some projects...I even loaded her up a little with some of 'my' work. She thrived.

That was 4 years before I moved on. I moved on. She was able to step into my role (thanks KH). That's succession planning. It started 4 years before I needed to activate it.

There were two other staff who had potential. I started developing them immediately. For one younger woman I made the position of 'team leader' for a small group. She thought it was just 'window dressing'. I didn't push back on that idea with much energy, because it wasn't, and I subtly loaded her with more responsibility and gradually expanded her remit and the pressure she was under. Not heartlessly, but in a manner calculated to see her make decisions.

At one time I gave her an assignment and started to say..."Gisele, if you run into any dead-ends..." she cut me off with "I know, bring you solutions, not problems".

I replied: "Not at all, if there's a dead end, or you find a challenge that you are not sure on, drop in to my office and we can chat about it, then work out what the options might be". Never strand someone: help them grow, not sink.

Another staff member, Simon, was a 'quiet achiever'. Not that quiet, as always ready with a good idea or amusing but positive contribution. There we no slots for quick advancement for him, but I sent him on an Executive MBA program. His next step, in a couple of years,  was 'UP'.

So that's succession planning; it's long term development of people, bringing them into the decision-responsibility circle and supporting their growth.

It is not a 'knee-jerk'.

Knee-jerks never work.