Don’t Wait For Someone Else: Create Your Plan For Success aka a Succession Plan For Your Next Role

Don’t wait: create your own succession plan 

I have a memory of myself many years ago in a conference room, surrounded by colleagues, all business leaders. We’re talking about succession planning for our key roles. For this specific role we think Erik could be ready in one year, Elizabeth in 18 months. For this other role we think Dennis could be ready in 12 months, Richard in three years. And so the process goes.  The output of the meeting was several analog lists in a binder that went on someone’s shelf in someone’s office. You might recognize what happened next. That first role became vacant in two years and neither Erik nor Elizabeth was ready. So we recruited from outside and the business struggled during the new employee’s learning curve of clients, process, team and culture. 

Now fast forward a number of years later. I’ve learned from these past failures. Here’s how we changed the succession planning process. We looked at key roles and created the detailed job spec for what we would be looking for if we were hiring from outside. We looked at the requirements of the role and we got granular. How much revenue would this candidate have managed? Has he/she/they worked on an acquisition? Led an integration? What are the must haves, need to haves, would be nice to have capabilities? Has she/he/they led a global team? Now here was the game-changer. We looked at our top internal pipeline candidates for each of these roles and we asked ourselves as business leaders, “What is this individual’s experience to readiness?” For example, we looked at an internal candidate who had managed an acquisition and an integration but hadn’t yet led a global team. She/he/they also needed deeper data analysis knowledge. In this redefined process we took what the individual’s experience to readiness needs were and we created a deliberate and intentional development program. We looked for a way to give the individual a global team. We partnered the individual with a digital analyst and created an upward mentoring relationship. We socialized the needs of these talented internal candidates with business leaders so they were continually on the lookout to provide the needed opportunities. When a role became available, we were much more likely to have an internal candidate ready. 

You can do this for yourself. What is the next role you want for yourself? What does the job spec look like for that role? I don’t want to assume (I will hope, however) that you have a manager who will do this with, and for, you. If you do, great. As part of your development conversation, discuss this experience to readiness idea. Together look at the job spec for the role to which you aspire.  Ask her/him/they directly, “What gaps in my capabilities, experience, span of authority or control or anything else would prevent me from being considered for this role?” Then take that feedback and ask, “If I could develop those areas, what would both of us need to do?” That’s your deliberate and intentional succession plan. 

If for whatever reason, you’re on your own for this, then find a job posting for the kind of role you would want next. Look at what the hiring company is looking for. Where are your gaps? Create your own experience to readiness plan. Look inside your company, the industry at large and see where you can acquire that knowledge and/or experience.  Read, attend free or low-cost webinars. Reach out to individuals who have that role already whether inside your company or elsewhere. How did they acquire the necessary experience? Remember that sometimes the right move is not up but laterally to gain the credibility to accelerate later. Seek the internal opportunities yourself. 

Will you have to spend some of your discretionary time? Yes. Will this take intention and action? Most definitely. However, if you choose not to wait for the proverbial ship to sail in, then you need swim to it with confidence, equipped for success with your own succession plan.