“Forever is composed of nows.”
– Emily Dickinson
Do you have a succession plan for your team and even yourself? This is the one kind of planning that I commonly see leaders putting off. It reminds me of how people will put off completing a will. Changes in our lives or with our staffing needs seem like an unknown and unpredictable. There is so much to do right now and the immediacy of a succession plan does not seem urgent enough.
However, having a succession plan is important and having a succession process is even more important. We never know when life will change for ourselves or those around us. Here are three components to consider when completing a succession plan and process:
Clarity of Roles
What are the roles of each person on your team? You may have a job description for each person. However, the roles of peoples’ positions can evolve. It can be a good practice to update this every year. What is the overall scope and specific duties of their position? What duties do they complete daily? Also, reflect on the whole year as some duties may change seasonally or quarterly based on your industry and the position. What are the person’s strengths and competencies? A role does not just consist of tasks completed but also the strengths and abilities that a person provides.
Have the staff person update their own job description annually and then also review with them to make sure you are both in alignment on the roles of the position.
Capacity of Staff
Capacity consists of capabilities and time. If a staff person will be leaving, are there other staff with capabilities to take on some of that role? Is there another staff member who has the abilities and could grow to a new level by being given these other roles? How much capacity in time could other staff take on in new roles?
Succession planning can be an on-going process of opportunity. It is not a plan to be checked off and put in a file drawer. Schedule in time to evaluate on a regular basis the capacity of staff. I know one company who uses evaluation of staff capacity to help see future growth areas for their company. Have on-going meetings where you check in on their capacity. How is their capacity of time? Could their strengths and competencies be used more? It is also a great way to engage the full potential of your staff by keeping them engaged and retaining them.
Communication
It is great to plan, but if we don’t communicate, we doom the plan for failure. As stated above, be intentional to have scheduled meetings regarding clarity of roles and capacity with your team. Also, when the succession plan turns into an actual change of staff, communication continues to need to be a priority. Whether the change entails hiring a new person, moving roles to current staff or outsourcing roles, your check-ins will need to be more frequent for a time. In any change, there can be excitement at the start, but it is very normal for a time of “storming” to come next. People have questions, face unknowns and feel all the emotions that go with it. The best defense to a successful transition is to make room and space for people to communicate and process.
I think emotionally we can subconsciously put off succession planning because of fear of loss or not wanting to think about grief and loss. But change is also an opportunity to see where new life is springing forth. A succession plan attached to an on-going process is one of the greatest ways you can show the importance of protecting the legacy of your vision and the people who make up your team.