Succession Part 2 - Planning to finish well
But all that preparation made for a wonderful journey that profoundly impacted my life. Most of my fellow pilgrims were equally prepared but not all, in fact some people seemed to be clueless about everything I'd obsessed over - no physical conditioning, dodgy shoes, denim jeans, no hat and a backpack from junior high school! Miraculously, most of these amazing people also made it to Santiago, but golly they had a rough journey and lots of blisters.
If one metric of good leadership is a healthy succession, then the journey to that outcome needs careful, intentional planning. So where do you begin in planning to finish well? Here in part 2 I want to explore lets call it, the leadership mindset and planning sequence. In part 3 I'll conclude by exploring the personal journey.
I'm going to offer a number of suggestions about this planning process but I acknowledge that there are many variables and assumptions at play. Firstly I am thinking primarily about organisational contexts though the principles apply in many settings, even for instance, the family business. Also I am assuming you are in a position of senior leadership within that organisation. You may not be the head of entity, but you might be one day and you have influence now. Lastly I'm writing with an underlying value for longevity in the organisation. I know people are now far less likely to stay in one organisational context for decades, but the shorter the tenure the harder it is to both shape culture and do succession planning well. Regardless of how long you'll be there, or wherever you sit in the organisation, if you love something enough to want it to continue on after you, then read on.
Start at the beginning. In part 1 I asked you to estimate how many years out you think you are from leaving your current role or organisation. If you just arrived you are not off the hook. The early years of a role are about establishing the mission (if its not already there), the culture you want to outlast you, and developing a stewardship and succession mindset. This might include thoughts like:
- I am choosing to be here for the long haul, but I am not here forever.
- I want to leave the organisation healthier and more fruitful than I found it.
- It's not all about me and I am not indispensable.
It is also a good time to be asking:
- How do I build (or contribute to building) an organisation that is so desirable to work in?
- Who do I have in my leadership pipeline and where are the gaps?
- How can I prioritise the emerging generation now?
Leadership development will be a priority at all stages and while age is not always a factor, typically the priority is developing people younger or those whom you lead. Your organisational context will dictate this to some degree. For example, in the naturally multi-generational church space, we have a unique opportunity to start really early giving children and teens invaluable leadership opportunities. But in most organisational settings you are only working with employees or adult volunteers so in reality these people may be anywhere from 5 to 25 years younger. They may not report to you directly but you are intentional about engaging with them, listening to them and observing their work, and where possible creating opportunities to stretch them.
5+ years out - Continue culture building and leadership development plus a focus on organisational fundamentals - mission, vision, governance and structure. In as much as you have authority, these need to be a high priority to ensure organisational resilience. So here are a few suggestions:
- Do the important collaborative work of forming or renewing the 'Why' of the organisation - its mission and vision. This serves not only to bring clarity and unity to the existing team but engage those who may be the ones to champion it into the future.
- Optimise your governance effectiveness. Is board renewal needed? Is upskilling needed? Are they relationally healthy and effective in their work? How about core documentation - constitutions, policies and procedures etc? Are there leaders you need to expose to the governance environment? A strong board is vital to a healthy leadership transition and they will need the capacity and skill to guide the process to its conclusion in the future. This all takes a lot of time so start now. Finally, start talking about the principle and value of succession planning across the whole organisation. As I've been suggesting, succession is your responsibility, but ultimately it is the board or bishop or governing authority that has the task of preparing and executing succession processes for its senior leaders. They need to know not only their responsibilities, but how to carry them out.
- What about your organisational chart? Does the structure of your organisation need renewing? Does your structure support your mission and vision? Does it encourage staff leadership development? Does it create room for people to advance and does it provide a way in for new recruits?
48-24 months out - Focus on organisational health and development of key people.
- How is the atmosphere? Are there lingering staff issues? How about the finances? Are the key performance indicators trending down or up? Are there major projects that could become major problems or distractions if not completed?
- This is the time when you are becoming clear on who your potential replacements are and if you don't have them, it's getting late to source them so you better get cracking. Raise the bar of responsibility with your key staff. Work more closely with a few and delegate more. Modify your role in ways that begin to take your hands off the wheel and place other hands on it.
36-12 months out - Beginning the conversation
- Your planing is now becoming concrete and you are beginning to think about the transition
- You have one or two people now carrying significant responsibility.
- You have the conversation with your board about your eventual succession intentions without being specific about timing. This gives them time to both acclimate the prospect of change without having to suddenly fly into action. Note this is a delicate moment and wisdom is needed here as to if, and how you have this conversation without it backfiring.
- Personally you are now considering timing in more deliberate ways, discussing it with a spouse, mentor or close friends. Perhaps you are praying for guidance and wisdom around when to press 'go'. It's soon but not yet.
- In this period you may also be considering what you might like to do after you finish (like walk the Camino!)
12-6 months out - Shifting from succession planning to transition planning
- Going public - At some point you have to inform your board of your intention to formally resign and how much time you are prepared to stay on after the announcement. In some contexts it may be the minimum requirement whilst in others you may offer the board as much time as they need to affect a smooth handover to a successor. This is ideal but not always practical.
- You can give too long and too short notice. Too long and it drags out for everyone and you become a caretaker leader. Too little time and you create unnecessary chaos somewhat souring the good finish. Any way you look at it, once you go public, everything quickly changes.
- You are now shifting from succession planning to transition planning. This phase relates specifically to the detailed sequence of communications and preparation the organisation needs for your departure as well as the recruitment of your successor. And to be clear, in most organisational settings this is not your responsibility. In fact you will increasingly step out of the room at this point because the board or its delegated group will now engage their own search and recruitment processes. Anticipate that their focus is going to quickly shift away from you as the leader to the critical task of finding your replacement. Don't take this personally.
- Your leadership of the organisation will take on a different posture now as people process both the emotion and the implications of your announcement. You still have influence but you do not have the same positional power you had prior to the announcement.
- You will focus now on continuity and the key people ensuring that, as best as you can, the incumbent has what they need to start well. You'll need to work out now what a good handover will look like.
- And finally, don't skip the actual finish. This is a significant moment for everyone so say what you need to say, thank those you need to thank, repair any relationships you need to repair, and celebrate all that you are able to be thankful for.
I can already hear you say "it's all way more complicated in my context!" - to which I totally agree. If nothing else, my goal in writing down this retrospective on my own very imperfect journey is to encourage you to think about your succession journey. And whether its a year or a decade away, to avoid the blisters of a lack of preparation, and recognise that you can be intentional from day one, till your farewell party. Your organisation will thank you for it and you will expereience the elation of a job well finished.
