This article is not to cause angst to any governmental leaders, but if you have not thought of succession planning and started the process for your agency, you may be leaving your organization without a qualified bench to assume the reins when you leave.

Succession planning is not rocket science but does require some amount of data reflecting the current makeup of your staff.  This is a two-way street. Staff one or two levels below senior leadership need to be identified as potentially eligible candidates to replace the existing officials.  The staff need to be encouraged to express interest in being part of the agency’s future leadership, because they need to be trained and understand what it means to operate agencies.

Now, let’s assume that your organization’s mission statement is ingrained in all staff without regard to grade levels.  So, given the mission, existing leaders must identify people who have the propensity to lead and accomplish that mission when the current leaders are no longer in place.  While it is important not to type cast employees, some backgrounds are more suited for various critical functions.  In the highway world, you need to know who may have interest in specific functions, e.g., chief engineer, head of planning and environment, operations, safety, research, implementation, etc.

Implementation includes program and project delivery.  So, if your agencies have a field presence, leadership should know the staff who may want to be outside of headquarters. Believe it or not, some staff do not want to be so close to the power structure. Some may want to be in more direct contact with their partners, conducting and overseeing project delivery. This is an important fact, because agencies with field presence need to advise staff to be aware of the forks in the road.  Sometimes if staff advance too far in headquarters without field experience, they may be disadvantaged and not competitive when senior level field positions become available. These discussions should occur regularly with staff especially those who are at the crossroads in their careers.

Succession considerations rely on data.  Leaders need stats of those who are eligible for retirement in the next two, five and even ten years. These audiences require focus.

Most leaders are surprised to learn that maybe 50 percent or more of their senior leaders are eligible for retirement now or within the next two years. Even more shocking, staff one or two levels below the senior leadership levels may be equally eligible to retire within the same timeframes.   Such scenarios means that time is of the essence. In these instances, there is little breathing room to prepare the prospective workforce.

To prepare future leaders, there are key tools that need to be sharpened and deployed, including ensuring that the proper training either exists or is under development.   Part of this training should include demystifying what it means to be senior leaders including one common misconception: leaders can have no personal life or quality time to spend with their families.  It is essential that senior leadership debunk this notion, because the staff are likely to look to see whether senior leaders practice what they preach.  Of course, this assumes that organizations value work/life balance.

Once the agencies demonstrate that they genuinely value work/life balance, and staff express interest in advancing their careers, training should begin immediately. Training should incorporate key leadership competencies essential to success.  While technical knowledge is important, there are other staff educated and trained to be experts in specific areas.  Laser vision focus should be concentrated on leading and managing people and programs.

In most, if not all agencies, key managing competencies are related to the candidates’ financial acumen and their abilities to lead people and change, build coalitions and deliver results.  These indicators are designed to determine candidates’ potential for success.

Another form of training is mentorships. These arrangements are invaluable to the development of up-and-coming staff.  However, there is one misgiving that should be considered; almost like arranged marriages, all too often, leaders attempt to match mentors with staffs.  There is some likelihood that the two may have little in common but attempt to make it work out of concern that the assigning leader will be insulted if the arrangement does not work.  These relationships can be better formed when the mentees identify leaders who they want to emulate for whatever reasons.  There needs to be some chemistry involved which does not necessarily exist through pre-selection.  Further, the mentees need to know that their mentors have vested interests in their success.

While there are many other keys to success for candidates, none is more essential than the ability to communicate well, both in writing and orally.  Strong communication is critical and often makes the difference to candidates’ success.  Candidates must be able to present themselves well on the written applications and during the interview processes, because when both sessions have been completed, there are no opportunities to go back and say, “I meant to say.”. or “may I add…”  It is a safe assumption that senior leaders in the selection process have seen less qualified staff advance over more qualified candidates simply because of the latter’s failure to communicate well.  Potential candidates should express themselves as if they are finalizing their last will and testament.   At the end of the day, there will be no opportunity to say, “let me explain.”

Finally, this a condensed attempt to fire up leaders when it comes to succession planning. Leaders do not want to look back without having strong benches or not handing off the batons seamlessly.  Afterall, ensuring the successful future of organizations is one of leadership’s enduring legacies. Leaders should also remember that legacies are not created at the end but at the beginning and throughout their tenures.  Thus, the reason to focus on succession planning immediately.