The primary objectives for and deliverables of a Succession Planning program are to:
- Sustain the business through a deliberate and systematic effort to anticipate and ensure leadership continuity in key positions
- Retain and develop the organization's high potential [HiPos]
Encourage individual development by:
- Identifying career paths
- Conducting formal performance appraisals
- Providing daily coaching
- Creating Individualized Development Plans [IDPs]
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
Fortune 500 companies and small family businesses share a business need - ensuring they have the talent necessary to effectively lead their organizations in the future. One of the most significant contributions a leader can make is ensuring his/her business’ continuity and sustainability - by having employees who are willing and capable of filling each key position with a plan for doing so when the need arises Succession Planning is a:
- deliberate, systematic process of anticipating the need for talent and ensuring that the
- necessary employee competencies and experience are available when needed in the future
a strategic approach for avoiding an undersupply of talent, enhancing the organization’s current talent pool, and meeting its future needs
Not having a Succession Plan can be costly and sometimes disastrous; it is expensive to recruit, interview, select, on-board, and train a new leader and significant opportunity costs are incurred when a key job is not being performed.
AREA COVERED
I. Succession Plan Defined
- A deliberate, systematic process of anticipating the need for talent and ensuring that
- the necessary employee competencies and experience are available when needed
- A strategic approach for avoiding an undersupply of talent, enhancing the organization’s current talent pool, and meeting the organization’s future needs
II. Objectives and Benefits of Succession Planning
- Sustain the business through a systematic effort to ensure leadership continuity in key positions
- Attract, retain & develop high potentials [HiPos]
Encourage HiPos development by:
- Identifying career paths
- Conducting performance appraisals
- Providing daily coaching
- Creating Individualized Development Plans [IDPs]
- Holding Talent Review meetings
III. Tools and Processes Commonly Utilized for Developing and Implementing
- Self-appraisals and career goals
- Performance appraisals, 360 feedback, and ratings
- Assessment instruments
- GE grid
- Individual development plans [IDPs]
- HiPo talent development interventions
- Talent review meetings
IV. What an Organization, its Leaders, and the Program Participants Need to Do to Achieve an Effective Plan
What an organization needs to do:
- Supply funding/budget
- Establish a sharp vision and guidance for the program
- Develop a formal, written program
- Announce the objectives of the program to all employees
- Ensure that all leaders and managers support the program
What the leaders need to do:
- Have job descriptions developed for their teams
- Conduct effective, formal performance appraisals
- Identify employee developmental areas
- Share their knowledge and experience
- Involve employees in more of the leader's responsibilities
- Facilitate the completion of IDPs for all Hi Pos
What the program participants need to do:
- Conduct self-appraisals
- Identify their desired career paths
- Learn as much as they can about potential future assignments
- Perform to their capabilities
- Complete their IDPs
- Develop the employees reporting to them – so they have successors
V. Potential Measures of the Program’s Success
- Whether there is, at least, one successor for each key position
- Having developmental goals and IDPs established for each successor
- Determining how much of their manager’s job the successors can perform
- Determining whether successors can perform their manager’s jobs when they are unavailable and evaluating their performance during those times
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand what succession is
- Look at a succession plan from both a macro & micro level
- Learn the value & objectives of succession planning
- Discuss multiple tools & processes for developing a succession plan
- Identify the individual roles of the organization, its leaders & the program participants
- Be able to utilize several metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your plan
WHO WILL BENEFIT?
- HR Professionals New to the Field - seeking a comprehensive view of the subject with multiple application initiatives
- Experienced HR Professionals - seeking a refresher
- Leaders and Managers - interested in understanding how a Succession Plan benefits an organization
- SHRM Associations
- HR Groups on LinkedIn
- Any Professional Manager Groups/Associations
Fortune 500 companies and small family businesses share a business need - ensuring they have the talent necessary to effectively lead their organizations in the future. One of the most significant contributions a leader can make is ensuring his/her business’ continuity and sustainability - by having employees who are willing and capable of filling each key position with a plan for doing so when the need arises Succession Planning is a:
- deliberate, systematic process of anticipating the need for talent and ensuring that the
- necessary employee competencies and experience are available when needed in the future
a strategic approach for avoiding an undersupply of talent, enhancing the organization’s current talent pool, and meeting its future needs
Not having a Succession Plan can be costly and sometimes disastrous; it is expensive to recruit, interview, select, on-board, and train a new leader and significant opportunity costs are incurred when a key job is not being performed.
I. Succession Plan Defined
- A deliberate, systematic process of anticipating the need for talent and ensuring that
- the necessary employee competencies and experience are available when needed
- A strategic approach for avoiding an undersupply of talent, enhancing the organization’s current talent pool, and meeting the organization’s future needs
II. Objectives and Benefits of Succession Planning
- Sustain the business through a systematic effort to ensure leadership continuity in key positions
- Attract, retain & develop high potentials [HiPos]
Encourage HiPos development by:
- Identifying career paths
- Conducting performance appraisals
- Providing daily coaching
- Creating Individualized Development Plans [IDPs]
- Holding Talent Review meetings
III. Tools and Processes Commonly Utilized for Developing and Implementing
- Self-appraisals and career goals
- Performance appraisals, 360 feedback, and ratings
- Assessment instruments
- GE grid
- Individual development plans [IDPs]
- HiPo talent development interventions
- Talent review meetings
IV. What an Organization, its Leaders, and the Program Participants Need to Do to Achieve an Effective Plan
What an organization needs to do:
- Supply funding/budget
- Establish a sharp vision and guidance for the program
- Develop a formal, written program
- Announce the objectives of the program to all employees
- Ensure that all leaders and managers support the program
What the leaders need to do:
- Have job descriptions developed for their teams
- Conduct effective, formal performance appraisals
- Identify employee developmental areas
- Share their knowledge and experience
- Involve employees in more of the leader's responsibilities
- Facilitate the completion of IDPs for all Hi Pos
What the program participants need to do:
- Conduct self-appraisals
- Identify their desired career paths
- Learn as much as they can about potential future assignments
- Perform to their capabilities
- Complete their IDPs
- Develop the employees reporting to them – so they have successors
V. Potential Measures of the Program’s Success
- Whether there is, at least, one successor for each key position
- Having developmental goals and IDPs established for each successor
- Determining how much of their manager’s job the successors can perform
- Determining whether successors can perform their manager’s jobs when they are unavailable and evaluating their performance during those times
- Understand what succession is
- Look at a succession plan from both a macro & micro level
- Learn the value & objectives of succession planning
- Discuss multiple tools & processes for developing a succession plan
- Identify the individual roles of the organization, its leaders & the program participants
- Be able to utilize several metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your plan
- HR Professionals New to the Field - seeking a comprehensive view of the subject with multiple application initiatives
- Experienced HR Professionals - seeking a refresher
- Leaders and Managers - interested in understanding how a Succession Plan benefits an organization
- SHRM Associations
- HR Groups on LinkedIn
- Any Professional Manager Groups/Associations
Speaker Profile
Pete Tosh
Pete Tosh is the Founder of The Focus Group, a management consulting and training firm that assists organizations in sustaining profitable growth through four core disciplines:Implementing Strategic HR InitiativesMaximizing Leadership EffectivenessStrategic PlanningEnhancing Customer LoyaltyThe Focus Group has provided these consulting and training services to manufacturing and service organizations across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Pete has worked closely with the leadership teams of organizations such as Exxon, Brinks, EMC, State Farm, Marriott, N.C.I. YKK and Freddie Mac Pete holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Emory and Henry University and Masters degrees in both Business Administration and …
Upcoming Webinars
Managing Toxic Employees: Strategies For Leaders To Effecti…
DOL Reverses Course on Independent Contractor Rule for 2026…
The emergence of Social Determinants of Healthcare
Leadership: Strategic Planning and Decision Making
Beginners Guide to Data Transformations in Power Query
Understanding EBITDA – Definition, Formula & Calculation
Navigating HR Like A Pro: What Every Small Business & New H…
HPLC Analytical Method Development and Validation
ChatGPT and Project Management: Leveraging AI for Project M…
Managing Projects When AI Joins the Team: Human Judgment, A…
Negotiating Skills For Professional Results - Winning Strat…
Fostering a Culture of Respect: Eliminating Gossip, Rumour…
Handbook Overhaul 2026: Compliance, OBBB Act & Beyond
Paying and Receiving Payments for Referrals: You Can Go to …
Excel Spreadsheets; Develop and Validate for 21 CFR Part 11…
Excel + AI: The Smart User's Guide to Faster, Easier Work w…
Tattoos, hijabs, piercings, and pink hair: The challenges …
The Importance of the first 5 seconds when presenting
Ten Red Flags that Signal Financial Distress in Business Cu…
The Age-Inclusive Workplace: How to Lead and Work Across Ge…
The New W4 - How to Assist Employees with Proper Completion…
Transforming Anger And Conflict Into Collaborative Problem …
Microsoft Excel PivotTables: Basics of Data Analysis for Bu…
4-Hour Virtual Seminar on Management Skills For New Managers
Fatal Errors Employers Make When Updating Employee Handbook…
Tools for New Managers: Connecting with Employees to Optimi…
Supervisor Excellence: Skills to Lead High-Performing Teams
The Manager’s Playbook for Leading After Layoffs: Quickly R…
Elevate Your Workplace Wellness: 10 Critical Wellness Facto…
Conquer Toxic People - Learn To Protect Yourself And Get Yo…
Excel - Lists and Tables - A Beginner's Guide to Managing L…
Thriving in a Hybrid Workplace: Keys to Leadership and Team…
Launch Your Career: The Ultimate Guide for Emerging Profess…
Mastering Performance Management: Strategies for Continuous…
Gossip-Free: Leadership Techniques to Quell Office Chatter
Pivot tables beginner to advanced + 20 advanced Pivot table…
AI Fundamentals for All Leaders and Managers: How to Work S…
Rewiring Your Emotional Triggers: Leading with Clarity and …
The $1M Mistake: EEOC Discrimination Claims Employers Make …
Using Claude in Excel for Productivity, Automation & Data A…
AI in B2B Marketing: What Your Compliance Team Needs to Know