Developing a succession plan is important for retaining top talent and ensuring leadership continuity. Only 1% of companies rate their succession plans as excellent. Succession planning identifies key positions, assesses competencies for each role, and develops employees to fill roles when leaders depart. It is a systematic, ongoing process to retain knowledge and encourage advancement, not a one-time event. Tools like talent profiles and a decision matrix can help evaluate employees' performance and potential for succession.

1. Developing a Succession
Plan

2. Why Do It?
• Employees say company leadership is a key
contributor to job satisfaction, commitment and
intent to stay; especially true for top talent.
• Recent surveys state that employees value most
the leadership qualities of honesty and integrity.
• Only 1% of companies rate their succession
management plans as excellent; two-thirds rate
them as fair or worse.
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3. Is this Urgent?
1. Have you lost high potential talent because they didn’t
know they were on the succession list?
2. If your executive team “got run over by a bus,” would
their replacements be able to step right in and be
productive?
3. Is anyone on the “top floors” or in the Boardroom
worried about the status of your “talent bench?”
4. What lost opportunity costs has your organization
incurred because it took a long time to replace a key
leader?
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4. Succession Planning – What it IS

5. What is Succession Planning?
A deliberate and systematic effort by an
organization to ensure leadership continuity in
key positions, retain and develop intellectual
and knowledge capital for the future, and
encourage individual advancement.
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6. Succession Planning
• Ensures that employees are recruited and/or
developed to fill each key role.!
• Ensures that we operate effectively when
individuals occupying critical positions depart.
• May be used for managerial positions or
unique or hard-to fill roles.
• Align bench strength for replacing critical
positions.

7. What is “Bench Strength”?
An assessment of the organization’s
preparedness to replace departing staff in
critical positions. Identifying people who are
ready to step into someone else’s shoes at the
appropriate time under the appropriate
circumstances with seamless transition.

8. Succession Planning – What it is Not

9. Succession Planning is NOT
• A one time event
• Decided by an individual
• Used solely for individual career
advancement opportunities
• Reacting only when a position becomes open
• Line mangers relying solely on their own
knowledge/comfort with candidates.

10. Replacement vs. Succession
• Reactive • Pro-Active
• Form of Risk • Planned Future
Management Development
• Substituting • Renewing
• Narrow Approach • Organized Alignment
• Restricted • Flexible
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11. Traditional vs. Future
• Driven by an annual HR • Driven by current and
procedures future business needs
• Entitlement focus – • Successors determined by
bureaucratic/buddy an open process with
multiple inputs and factors
payback system - decided in
secret • Development plans,
development discussions
• “The list” and identified and coaching with both
development actions, but candidate, management,
no accountability for mentors, and others held
development accountable for progress
and monitoring
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12. Steps in the process
• Phase 1: Identify Key/Critical Positions
• Phase 2: Conduct Position Analysis
• Phase 3: Develop Succession Plan
• Phase 4: Monitor, Evaluate, Revise

13. Phase 1: Identify Key/Critical Positions
• Key Contributor- in achieving the organization’s
mission or would hinder vital functions
• Specialized Leadership – The position requires
specialized or unique expertise
• Geographic – The position is the only one of its kind
in a particular location
• Vacancy- Position will be vacant due to
retirement/advancement in the organization/lateral
moves

14. Phase 2: Conduct Position Analysis
• What are the external and internal factors
affecting this position?
• What competencies or skill sets will be
required?
• What are the gaps (competencies or skill sets
not possessed by the current staff)?
• What strategies will be used to address the
gaps?

15. Phase 3: Develop Succession Plan
The succession plan is the culmination of Phases 1 and
2.
• Reviews of the individual positions and high turnover
job classes are rolled into one document and gaps
and strategies are formulated at an organizational or
unit level.
• The strategies to overcome the gaps are outlined to
include target completion dates, responsible parties
and required resources.

16. Phase 4: Monitor, Evaluate, Revise
• Select evaluation period-typically reviewed
annually
• Be prepared to respond rapidly to unforseen
changes to the plan
• Status/Progress updates should be monitored
via the succession planning template and
EPA’s (depends what Holly choses here)
• (Is this a good point to go into tools and add
presentation of strategy?)

17. Overview of Process and Tools
Executive
Manager Decision-Making Profiles & Dev. plans focus
Org.Strategic and Self Matrix Organization on both strengths
Initiatives, Mission Evaluations Chart And dev.areas
Vision & Values
Determine Gap
Identify Assess
between
Determine Key Leadership Organizational Monitor & Track
Actual Performance
Competencies Candidates & Risks Employee’s
& Behaviors vs.
For Leadership Assess Against and Develop Performance
Required
Competencies Strategies
Competencies
Process Process Implementation Process
Design Management
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18. What tools will we use?

19. Insert Laura or Holly’s Talent Profile or readiness Assessment

20. Decision Making Matrix
SOLID CITIZEN PERFORMER STRONG PERFORMER STAR PERFORMER
(High Performance/Low Potential) (High Performance/Med Potential) (High Performance/High Potential)
Gets all important things done Gets all important things done Gets all important things done
Is a pro in his/her position May act at level of capability of one level Acts at a level of capability of at least one
Is seen as a leader in his/her area above current position level above current position
Has reached potential Acts as leader and role model Acknowledged as a skilled leader and role
Action Required: Exhibits many strengths or competencies model
Continue developing in current position; is in beyond current role Exhibits many strengths or competencies
the right job Some leadership development issues beyond current role
Action Required: Has wide spread influence beyond current
Look for opportunity to display leadership in role
current job Action Required:
Stretch assignments to prepare for larger role
QUESTIONABLE PERFORMER SOLID CITIZEN PERFORMER STRONG PERFORMER
(Medium Performance/Low Potential) (Medium Performance/Medium Potential) (Medium Performance/High Potential)
Performance
Gets most important things done Gets most important things done Gets most important things done
Is very proficient in his/her current position Shows signs of leadership and role modeling Acknowledged as a leader and role model
Is not seen as a leader in his/her area Exhibits many FCC executive competencies Exemplifies FCC executive competencies
Action Required: May be new in position Acts at level of capability of next level in the
Work on improving performance in current Action Required: organization
job; may be candidate for lateral move Leave in current job; continue developing Action Required:
skills and improving performance Focus on performance short term and
development opportunities long term
LOW PERFORMER QUESTIONABLE PERFORMER SOLID CITIZEN PERFORMER
(Low Performance/Low Potential) (Low Performance/Medium Potential) (Low Performance/High Potential)
Isn’t getting most important things done Isn’t getting most important things done Isn’t getting most important things done
Difficulty performing to standards in his/her Capable of making higher contribution Has been acknowledged as a team player and
current position May be in wrong job or occupied with non- role model
Action Required: work distraction Has exemplified FCC executive competencies
Consider reassignment to more appropriate Action Required: May be in wrong job or occupied with non-
position; including lower level or exit option Focus on improving performance work distraction
Action Required:
Address root cause performance issue; worthy
of investment in development
Potential
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21. Decision Making Matrix
SOLID CITIZEN PERFORMER-B STRONG PERFORMER-A STAR PERFORMER-A
(High Performance/Low Potential) (High Performance/Med Potential) (High Performance/High Potential)
JF LA BR
EB TO
EK
QUESTIONABLE PERFORMER-C SOLID CITIZEN PERFORMER-B STRONG PERFORMER-A
(Medium Performance/Low Potential) (Medium Performance/Medium Potential) (Medium Performance/High Potential)
Performance
DS EH TK
LG AG
TW
KS
DS
LOW PERFORMER-Mange up or QUESTIONABLE PERFORMER-C SOLID CITIZEN PERFORMER-B
out (Low Performance/Medium Potential) (Low Performance/High Potential)
(Low Performance/Low Potential)
Potential
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22. Chart Results: Talent Summary
Functional Competencies Leadership Competencies
Adaptability
Organizatio
Alignment
Communi
Develops
Boundary
and Balance
Drive for
Influence
Self and
Participants
Technology
Results
Knowledge
Integration
Others
action
Cross
of Budget
Business
Manage-
Planning
Strategy
Methods
and
Market
ment
and
and
ecti
Per
ve
sp
n
Participant 1
Participant 2
Participant 3
Participant 4
Participant 5
Participant 6
Participant 7
Participant 8
Participant 9
Participant 10
Participant 11
Participant 12
Participant 13
This graphical representation is a comparison of each individual’s performance by competency (each row on the vertical axis
represents an individual's score).
- Exceeds Standards - At Standard - Needs Development
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23. For thought
• It is an ongoing process where the players will
change continuously
• It is a strategic effort that utilizes inputs from
multiple sources
• The organizational direction may also change,
so be flexible
• Competencies need to be constantly
monitored to ensure they are measuring what
you want to measure
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24. Refining the Program
• Prepare a program action plan
• Communicate the action plan
• Conduct Succession Planning meetings at
leadership level initially
• Training on Succession Planning
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