From major league baseball to the NFL, the quality of any good team is not only defined by its all-stars or even its starters. Often it’s the bench strength that defines the sustainability of a winning team. Think about the Packers. They had Aaron Rodgers and were not shaken by the loss of the one and only Brett Favre. In fact, Rodgers led his team to win the Superbowl last year and was selected the MVP.
So, who’s on your bench? Have you thought about who would replace you? How about the members of your leadership team? What would happen if you or any of them were hit by the proverbial bus tomorrow?
Whether you’re planning to work for five years or another 10, like me, it’s important that you take the time as a leader to identify who’s next in line for your job – and other key positions in your organization. Most CEOs and owners think of who will succeed them, but I believe it’s just as important to identify replacements for other top contributors whether it’s a CFO, top salesperson or specialized technician.
Running a high-performing organization requires leaders to go beyond traditional succession planning and have a series of individuals ready to fill a void left by a retirement, promotion or another departure. Here are a few steps I take to ensure our success is sustainable and we do not face a “rebuilding year:”
- Build your bench. I plan to keep serving as CEO of Marco for another decade, but I already have identified two key individuals in our company who could succeed me. I encourage every member of our leadership team to do the same. We regularly talk about the replacements (or lack thereof) – by name.
- Draft when necessary. Having the right replacement sometimes requires thinking outside of the organization. I have three “outsiders” on my short list of leadership-level replacements right now, and I’m confident they could step in and be successful should we need them.
- Intentionally groom your starters. From introducing them to your circle of influence to including them in key decisions, it’s important that your replacements gain the understanding, knowledge and connections they need to be successful when they assume the position. For example, I intentionally invited other key leaders within our organization (in addition to our executive management team) to attend our monthly operating results meetings so they get the financial information firsthand and gain a better understanding on how we make or lose money.
- Promote future all-stars. This is not limited to titles or climbing the corporate ladder. Consider ways you can give deserving team members more responsibility and opportunities to achieve success. For example, we encouraged an administrative employee to lead our internal United Way campaign and events. This provided her with increased visibility internally through her demonstrated team building and leadership skills, and thus resulted in her being promoted to a new opportunity within an important growing division.
Over the years, I have found that it’s often good things like internal promotions that trigger a series of voids that we’re not ready to fill. We’ve made the mistake of promoting high performing sales reps and service personnel to management positions without having the bench strength to fill the gaps.
Direct sales and service companies – and most companies for that matter – cannot afford to leave a void at the street level. We often focus at the top of the organizational chart, but those professionals on the front lines are equally important because they are where your customers meet your company. So, does your succession plan include the positions that matter most to your customers and your organization?
