How we can help you with succession management

Our succession management approach will help you align talent with organizational goals and promotes versatility in a volatile economic environment. We use three key steps to help clients develop customized and effective plans for identifying the right candidate for the job.

Assess organizational fit

We'll help identify the role's key responsibilities, as well as the skills, knowledge and other attributes deemed critical for a candidate to succeed in that role.

Determine readiness of the candidate

From holding behavioral interviews with candidates to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses for the role to poring over their past performance, we'll help make sure you only consider the best of the best.

Recommend development of promising talent

Just because a candidate isn't currently right for the role doesn't mean they can't grow into the responsibility. We'll provide leadership development and help conduct talent reviews to help you grow today's star talent into tomorrow's leaders.

One example of how we've helped with succession management consulting

Here's just one example of how we've helped organizations manage their succession plans in the past.

The issue

A major university hospital system lacked a clear succession plan for its leaders. Additionally, the expected leadership capabilities were poorly defined and not understood. Skill sets varied among the leaders and developmental messages had not been assessed or communicated to potential future leaders. Faced with an unclear future and uncertainty about who would succeed current leaders, the organization needed to develop a clear and targeted succession plan.

Our solution

• Conducted role requirement interviews: We interviewed the leadership team to understand overall organizational leadership needs and goals, as well as specific goals.
  
  
• Defined talent portfolio requirements: We determined the talent requirements for leadership roles. The talent requirements were the specific skills, knowledge, and standards that leaders needed to demonstrate in order to effectively lead the organization. This process established common talent standards required of leaders.
  
  
• Created overall succession plan: Crafted specific plan for assessing the succession pool against the requirements. The pool was assessed on current strengths and future potential. Developmental needs of the leadership group as a whole and individuals were identified. Depth charts were created for each role and action plans created to fill gaps.
  
  
• Developed resource guide: Outlined specific action steps that corresponded to developmental needs for each individual. The resource guide facilitated leadership mobility and growth, as well as encouraged better assignment and development decisions.
  
  
• Established conversation guidelines: Furnished leadership with conversation guides to facilitate the sharing of developmental messages while keeping in mind the goals of providing realistic understanding of future career opportunities, retaining key talent, clarifying areas for personal growth and helping identify effective development activities.

The result

As a result of our work with the hospital system leadership team, a succession plan was drawn up and put into place. Those who were suited to the leadership roles were given clear developmental guidance. Eventually, most took on the leadership roles as they became vacant. Several positions with no internal successor were filled from outside the organization.