Should I have a succession plan for everyone?
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The short answer: in an ideal world with plenty time on your hands, is “yes”. But the reality of day-to-day life is that you’ll need to prioritise – who most needs a succession plan?
You’ll probably agree that some people in your team are not likely to move on – or are relatively easy to replace if they do. The priority for these people is not succession planning, but developing them to become excellent performers with a good reputation – so that they can contribute more, and if they decide to move, they can do so.
Who then are the succession planning priorities?
- Key people who would cause you a problem if they disappeared. These are people who are the sole holders of expertise, ability or key client relationships. If these people vanished from your team, whether through sickness or to take up another role, you’d be in trouble! Ensuring you have a back-up plan is your number one priority. If you don’t have a plan, start now!
Certainly you should start trying to ensure that your expert’s knowledge is not held solely in one person’s head. Can someone be an understudy for the role? How much of the knowledge can be documented? Can you establish multiple relationships with key clients? Could you restructure the team so that in an emergency the work could be split between two people? Do you need to look outside the team?
If you’re caught unawares by an expert leaving, then you must take instant action. If they’re leaving in 2-4 weeks (remember they might use up their leave), you’ll probably have to split their work between different team members, or hire in some expertise. If the window of time is even shorter, try to download their brain for whoever is going to take over. At the very least, straightaway ask another team member to shadow them while they are still in the role. - Yourself. If you want to free yourself up so that you are able to apply for bigger roles or take a secondment or project, it will be a lot easier if you have an obvious successor who is acceptable to your manager.
If your manager doesn’t agree with your choice, find out why. Focus on the person’s development, and take action to build their reputation and visibility. Work hard to try to change perceptions. If your manager thinks there is a better candidate, challenge yourself to consider whether your manager is right! If you think you still have the right person, then you’ll need to be very clear on the reasons for your choice, and work out what that successor needs to achieve or demonstrate to change your manager‘s mind. - Likely movers. Your third priority is the people in your team who are likely to leave soon. High potentials who need more stretch? People reaching a watershed when many leave? Take pre-emptive action! If you know they are likely to leave, start your successor search inside and outside the team now.
You also have some control over when your likely mover will leave the team. What can you do to help them manage their future progress? Can you work with them to set a timetable around development opportunities to add to their CV, leading up to a point where they will start actively job hunting? If you initiate discussions around development and career, you can influence the timing of their move.
It’s vital for every manager to hit these 3 bases and have succession plans in place. It will save a lot of stress and hard work if you plan ahead. And remember that if you want to move on, you need to make it easy to release you – if you’re indispensable you’re also unpromotable!