Succession Planning is Important. It is more Important to get it Right.

Among the many epithets that have been part of organizational lore is that invaluable one from Peter Drucker, of change being the only constant. We heard this adage decades back, but it is worth repeating many times over, because the truth behind this dictum is not likely to change.

When organizations know that change is a certainty about any aspect of their business; it makes sense to keep in mind that leadership is also going to change with time. No matter how strong leadership is, and no matter how great the results it has provided are; it is always important for organizations to understand the simple truth that leadership also has to change.

Organizations that pass leadership from one generation to the next without much pain are highly successful. Such organizations realize that change is certain, and the smoother the leadership transition happens, the better. Succession planning is likely to become successful when the organization is able to identify leadership for the next generation even while the present one is in full bloom.

Succession that is forced is never going to succeed

Successful organizations don’t wait for a disaster to happen to bring about succession planning. They don’t wait for something as important as a resignation from a top leader for the next person to fill her slot. They also don’t wait for a technological or other disruption to force change in leadership, where the current crop of leadership may not be able to comprehend the new wave, prompting the next generation to take over. This in fact, is not succession planning; it is just crisis management.

The essence of successful succession planning is for it to happen willingly, without being forced. The truth that successful organizations change because they want to, and not because they have to, holds perfectly valid for leadership succession.

Successful organizations devise ways to identify the right persons to take up leadership positions in the future. The leadership potential is identified quite early on in the tenure of the future leader. In this sense, leadership planning is not something that happens all of a sudden. Ideally, the emerging leader should be exposed to the realities of the future role in a phased and realistic manner. It could take years for this to happen. When done professionally, neatly and thoroughly; the new leadership should slip into the new position painlessly. Or else, the person in the new role is all at sea in adapting to the new position, and by the time she starts to actually perform as the organization’s new leader; considerable time is lost.

Learn the elements of succession planning

Want to understand the ways by which to put a proper succession plan in place? Want to know what kind of best practices your organization can adapt to make your succession plan an effective one? A webinar from TrainHR, a leading provider of professional trainings for all the areas of human resources, has the answers. At this webinar, which will have Marcia Zidle, CEO of Leaders At All Levels as the speaker; a complete understanding of how to understand succession planning and the ways to prepare for it will be given. To get a complete understanding of this topic, please enroll for this webinar by visiting http://www.trainhr.com/control/w_product/~product_id=701804LIVE?abilogic-SEO Viewing this webinar, its entirety qualifies for a recertification credit hour that may be counted toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification from SHRM.

Credit is awarded based on the actual educational time spent in the program.

This activity has been approved for 1 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR, PHR, PHRca, SPHR, GPHR, PHRi and SPHRi recertification through HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

Making succession painless

This webinar will offer a complete grasp of the ways by which to make succession planning a smooth affair. Marcia will impart best practices that go into this. She will discuss the core areas of succession planning, such as how to identify potential leaders who can assume greater responsibility in the organization, the variety and impact of various development experiences on those that can move into key roles, and how to engage the leadership in supporting the development of high-potential leaders.

In this very absorbing session, which will be of high importance and value to personnel in very important positions in the organization, such as CEO's, COO's, VP of Human Resources, Chief Learning Officer, Directors, Project Managers, Operation Managers and Supervisors, Team Leaders, and Human Resources Professionals; Marcia will cover the following areas:

• Discover the Seven Deadly Sins of Succession Planning: What not to do
• Examine the Pros and Cons of Insiders vs Outsiders to fill specific positions: Which is better?
• Understand the 70-20-10 rule for Developing your Future Leaders: What it is and how to use it
• Identify the 10 best Practices that High Performing organizations use for grooming outstanding leaders
• Review the 5 steps that must be followed to build a culture that supports development from the top down
• Utilize the Center for Creative Leadership's 3 key elements for successful leadership development Assessment – Challenge -Support
• Recognize a variety of learning and on the job opportunities for professionals and managers and how to implement them for ongoing leadership development.

About TrainHR TrainHR is a comprehensive Human Resources training solutions provider. In offering trainings that are valuable, yet cost effective, TrainHR is the ideal medium for Human Resources professionals.