When to do Succession Planning

GLC

When is the best time to do succession planning, at the beginning or end of a fiscal year, after annual performance evaluations, etc.?

Don D

My notion of succession planning is that it is not tied to a time of year at all. It's tied to the fact that you have valuable employees whose loss will throw an employer into a tailspin if the employer has no plan for filling in behind them immediately with talent.

Gillian

It is a year round development activity focused on raising the skills of employees so that they have the knowledge to fill in behind those that leave.

GLC

Who is generally in a succession planning meeting? Sr. Mgmt.? Manager of each department? Also, are all staff generally looked at or mid-level on up?

Don D

There are as many answers to your questions as there are stars in the sky or as many as there are consultants on earth, but I'm being redundant. Succession planning may involve no more than the CEO's thought process. Or it might involve monthly or quarterly sit down meetings with department heads. Or it might be delegated to department heads with no meetings being held - just hold each accountable for handling the process in their unit. Or it might be an annual admonition from the owner to be sure you have a plan in place. Someone surely will suggest an article or book on the topic. Ultimately, in my opinion, the plan should not be restricted to a certain group or tenure level. How about it Gillian?

Gillian

I agree. The old style succession plans where a person was "selected" as the successor and trained and developed to succeed the boss are rife with the potential for discrimination, favoritism etc. The best approach is to offer development activities to the larger group and then let the stars shine - they will. It may cost a bit more on the front end but it will decrease the potential for abuse.