• promotion within the organization
• move to part-time arrangements for better work-life balance
• voluntary departure from the organization to pursue a career elsewhere
• involuntary departure from the organization
• retirement
• serious illness
• death

Organizations that fail to plan for the timely and effective filling of such leadership roles can be caught off guard, with the consequent disruption to normal business activities and the loss of market share. Succession planning is the preemptive process of identifying significant leadership positions that could put the organization at risk if left unfulfilled, targeting current employees that could move into such roles and grooming them for succession. Managing leadership succession effectively requires a structured approach that is agreed, understood and followed by everyone involved in the planning process.

The Succession Planning Process

Succession planning requires steps to obtain leadership guidance, collect relevant information, make key decisions, and execute succession and development actions. If undertaking this activity for the first time, you should consider creating a process that is "separate" from other, related activities such as performance management and development planning. Later, after you have executed your process a couple times, you may take down the special elements and start to integrate it with these other activities. The steps below outline such a stand-alone process.

1. Define purpose, goals, and scope
2. Assemble an oversight committee
3. Set policy
4. Define operational parameters
5. Develop and conduct the assessment
6. Compile and organize the data
7. Conduct organizational reviews
8. Implement development plans
9. Assess process effectiveness

Read the full article

Succession Planning Program Evaluation

Your succession planning program can take any of a number of forms. It may rigorously identify specific future career moves for your upwardly mobile leaders, or it may use a more general system of leadership "turns" to be accomplished. You may clearly publicize the succession planning process and its results, or you may perform activities in the background and communicate only to those who "need to know." However your leadership succession process works, you will need to assess the effectiveness of your program from time to time. Here are some key questions with an eye to improvements, as well as for when you are just starting to design your own approach.

Results

• Does your succession planning program consistently produce a slate of qualified candidates for any given leadership position that needs to be filled?
• Is your organization able to select internal succession candidates when desirable, rather than have to bring in outsiders with "more experience"?
• Do newly placed (promoted) leaders feel ready and confident about stepping into the new role?

Process

• Does top leadership move future leaders around to ensure they experience many parts of the organization?
• Does top leadership aggressively "move out" incumbent leaders who are underperforming in a key role so that ready successors may be "moved up"?
• Do your future leaders "know where they stand"?

Read the complete set of questions and the full article

Succession Planning Software Tool and Process Guide

Our new succession planning tool is a comprehensive solution to your organization's leadership succession needs. The workhorse of the tool is based on the popular Microsoft Excel spreadsheet interface, so it's easy to use and learn. The tool allows for quick data entry with plenty of fool-proofing built in. Its many powerful features include visual indicators, such as the Org Chart and C-P Matrix, along with key reports showing your organization's succession planning progress at a glance.

Succession Planner can manage your organization's entire succession planning efforts; from initially identifying your succession positions through to analyzing and reporting succession progress. Included with the package is a fully illustrated User Guide, customizable nominee Assessment Form and bonus Succession Planner Process Guide. With this tool, you will be able to:

• rate future leaders and align them against specific future roles
• rate current and future leaders for contribution, leadership and potential
• view a succession snapshot of your entire leadership team
• analyze the overall strength of your bench of future leaders
• identify key risks among leadership positions and individuals

Exclusive Offer for Our Customers

As a special offer to our valued customers, download the complete Succession Planner package within the next ten days and receive a 10% discount. Simply enter the following coupon code when prompted on the Confirmation page of the online order process. The coupon code is case sensitive.

Coupon Code: SUPL-1VYF-EMAI

To buy Succession Planner now, click here or go to
https://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?items=14817-20

To find out more about Succession Planner, visit the information page at www.businessperform.com/html/succession_planner.html or click here.

Succession Planning Services

Andy Beaulieu is the well-known and respected author of the Succession Planner tool. Mr. Beaulieu has had over two decade's experience in assisting blue chip organizations with their leadership development and succession planning. We are pleased to offer Mr. Beaulieu's services in helping you implement succession planning in your organization. We invite you to contact us at office@businessperform.com to discuss your specific talent management needs.