Succession Planning Roadmaps: A Blueprint for Talent Development
You have identified great talent that is full of potential. You have captured who they are, where they may fill in next, and the timeline for that movement. But how do we ensure we get them there? And on time. Succession planning is a talent roadmap. It gives you your starting position and the waypoints along the way. GPS systems tell you the timeline, so all you have to do is follow the path. You can do that with your talent as well.
On paper, the succession plan sets the potential way of getting from Point A to Point B, whatever that specifically means for your business or situation. The critical actions between those two points will make all the difference. As part of succession planning (seeing it on a macro/high level), you will also need individual development plans. Your business may call them something different; the name is hardly important. Having a series of developmental steps and knowledge and experience-building activities is what is most essential.
Everyone has a development plan
Even if they are not seeking a promotion, everyone on the team needs a development plan. The world is continually changing, and standing still means falling behind. The assignments and development activities will look different, but they should exist. Regardless of the role, you want people to move forward. No team can afford players who are not bettering themselves to support their role and the team.
Someone recently shared a great video on the need to continually develop forward from the Pittsburgh Steelers coach. It connects to this perfectly and reinforces that no one can stand still in their position. Even if you’re not a football fan, the message rings true.
On The Move Talent
For your higher potential individuals, this plan is their specific outline of how they can progress forward to increasing roles of responsibility. The plan should be based on a two-way dialogue on how comfortable they feel in the requirements for future roles. Couple this with your feedback and observations; you should be able to define a detailed plan for their growth and development. This may include training courses your company has for different positions, and it could include outside training courses as well. Tactical elements will likely be required, which could come from on-the-job training and experience.
Ensuring that you match their needs to the future role requirements will help you set them up for success. A step often overlooked is the need for leadership development and skills not always learned directly on the job. Many great ‘workers’ get promoted into ‘leader’ roles but have never been taught what leadership means. Unless they are surrounded by other strong, leadership driven people, it can create gaps in their ability to support people in their expanded roles. Build in time for mentorship for that element of development.
Creating development opportunities for your talent
Gaining experience in real-life situations will always be the best preparation for future roles. Role playing and theoretical discussion, while helpful, cannot be a full substitute for seeing certain situations unfold in real time. Scheduling shifts to shadow other leaders in their roles can be a good way to provide that exposure. Looking beyond your immediate space, especially at the store level, can also provide more opportunities for learning and experience.
At a store level, talk to peers about the potential of having someone from your store work with someone at their store. They may see different things and observe new ideas. Swap talent for a week or two to provide an opportunity to see things from a fresh perspective in a familiar environment. Many times across my career, I have heard stories of people going to other stores and talking about how different the experience was. That can be both rewarding and jarring. Imagine how that feels if you are doing that for the first time in a new role, just promoted (see more below).
If traveling between locations is not possible, phone calls, video chats, and online courses can be ways to gain new ideas, insights, and experiences from others. Preparing questions for different people to discuss during a thirty or sixty-minute video call could be an excellent way to make new connections and be exposed to different perspectives. Don’t limit yourself to only what is closest to you.
Succession planning requires active participation
Up to this point, it may feel like the entire burden of succession planning and development falls on your (the leader’s shoulders), but that is not accurate. Succession planning and talent development are absolutely a two-way street. The employee must be an active participant all the way through. They need to be engaged upfront to discuss what they are looking for, what they aspire to, and what they feel they need to achieve those outcomes. They must remain open and honest throughout the ongoing process. And they will have to be willing to receive direct feedback on their progress, good and bad.
Personal development begins with the employee. Regardless of title, role, or experience, each of us must take responsibility for our own development. We should all feel our leaders’ support, but support is different from full ownership. As a leader, you can build the plan and discuss it, but it ultimately lies in the individual’s hands to be fully involved in bringing it to life.
Building the overall plan and the individual development plan is the roadmap to your team’s success. Sharing the details will build trust and empower the individual to take the reins for their own development. A partnership is formed to ensure growth and success. On a bigger scale, your succession planning program enables you to lead your team how you need to. You’ll have good depth in each position, and you’ll likely even provide support to other stores or districts around you because your talent pipeline is so strong and deep. It truly is a way to build a championship team.
In the next article in the series, we look closer at the final stages of preparing your employee for the next role they will be taking on. Having a great plan also means ensuring that the true desired outcome is realized. The point of succession planning isn’t to plan; it is to build a talent pool that allows for the team’s long-term success. So, we’ll explore this critical final stage to ensure the plan sets everyone up for success.
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