Succession planning

A proactive approach to strengthen leadership pipeline to meet future business goals

A succession plan is a strategic tool that aligns people resourcing and development with the organisation’s long-term goals, ensuring future leaders are equipped to meet changing business needs.

Imagine being able to see at-a-glance, who is ready and when they are ready to move upwards (or sideways) in your organisation. From this roadmap, you can develop learning paths and plans that align future skill requirements with current availability.

For example, a strategic objective is to increase headcount in marketing for a communications specialist in 18-months’ time. The marketing functional leader reviews their current team to find out who could potentially fill this role, establishing that an internal candidate is a possibility however they need some specific skills training to get them ready. This training might mean an external course, carrying out an internal project that exposes this person to the new skill set, mentoring from someone within the organisation or some on-line learning, or a blend of these approaches.

Working backwards, the leader can now start to think about who will back-fill and so on.

Typical steps we take might be:

  • Define objectives and scope:
    Clarify why succession planning is needed, which roles are critical, and the timeframe for implementation. Refer to strategic organisational goals and resourcing demands. Output is an agreed set of resourcing needs by function.

  • Identify key roles and competencies:
    Determine which roles are essential to the organization’s long-term success and define the competencies and experience required for each.

  • Assess current talent:
    Evaluate internal candidates’ readiness through performance reviews, potential assessments, and feedback from managers.

  • Develop talent pools:
    Create a pool of high-potential employees rather than focusing on one successor per role to provide flexibility.
  • Create development plans:
    Tailor growth opportunities such as mentoring, stretch assignments, training programs, and cross-functional projects for identified talent.

  • Implement and monitor:
    Execute development plans, ensuring regular check-ins to track progress and adjust strategies as needed. Train managers and leaders to have transparent and meaningful conversations.

  • Communicate transparently:
    Keep stakeholders informed about the succession planning process while managing confidentiality and expectations.

  • Review and update:
    Revisit the succession plan regularly to reflect changes in business priorities, roles or personnel.

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