Succession planning is not just intended for management succession at the higher levels. Succession planning should involve movement, but this does not have to be an upward movement.

It would normally imply an opportunity for learning what happens in other areas or departments so employees are available and pre-trained to move to a variety of positions as and when a need arises.

This is where the three dimensions come into play and where there is a need for planning and decisive and immediate action. The three dimensions I refer to are

• Career crossroads – making a decision – is management right for me?
• Career development training – Supervisory and Management development
• Career cessation or directional change – this is not for me – this is not for you

As with everything else, a succession planning strategy needs to be carefully considered and effectively enforced. It must also be communicated to all staff members so there are no if, buts or ands. If your company does not have a strategy now is a good time to develop one based on the three dimension mentioned.

Employees need to know there is a plan in place that offers the career advancement opportunities they seek based on ability and merit. They need to know that work well done is recognised and acknowledged. Many employees I speak to feel they are stagnating and see no way forward, sideways or upwards.

Self fulfillment in a work environment is vital and without this a company will start experiencing dramatic staff losses. Having a fair advancement policy will lead to happy employees, better service levels, quality customer care and will increase overall productivity.

Career crossroads – making a decision – is management right for me?

Personal succession planning is important to consider. Employees should not sit back and wait for a position to become available or for opportunities to arise. They should create their own opportunities. The employee should voluntarily take on additional responsibility by being willing to assist others as a means of learning new skills and demonstrating ability to work as part of the bigger team.

Becoming a natural leader in the workplace and demonstrating leadership qualities gets people noticed and recognised. When management recognise the individual efforts of employees it is more likely the employee will be considered for promotion or be put in a position carrying additional responsibility.

A Career Crossroads Programme should be implemented to give potential supervisor and/or managers a chance to assess their own abilities while at the same time considering the role of the manager in a specific organisation.

This would be a self reflection and self study programme designed to assist potential candidates (in conjunction with their manager and/or a coaching facilitator) to decide if a management career is the correct path for them to follow. Employees must open their minds, get out of the “threat syndrome”, see the big picture and take advantage of the opportunities that exist.

A Career Development Programme should be implemented to give existing supervisors and managers opportunities for further self development. For a supervisor or manager to enjoy career advancement it is important they train someone to succeed them. At the same time the need to be familiar with and be capable of doing what their senior manager is doing.

Education is essential but real life business experience is also important. Many employees spend part of the work day studying at the workplace when in fact they should be working. Many employees embark on a course of studies they feel is important to them but may not be important to the company they work for. Employees should discuss their study plans with employers to establish what the needs of the company and of the industry are.

By implementing an effective SDP or MDP a company can assist their existing supervisors and managers. These programmes do not have to be on a classroom based basis. By introducing a programme under the guidance of a coaching facilitator a more practical and work specific approach can be adopted. This will ensure a greater level of participation by the learners, a greater exposure to real life and work related issues and a reduction in time spent away from the job.

A Career Cessation or directional change strategy – This is not right for me – for you. This strategy must be implemented and strictly enforced if companies are to succeed and if credibility is to be upheld.

It is perhaps the hardest of the three dimensions to implement and enforce yet it is possibly the most important.

This is the stage at which a decision is made personally by the supervisor or manager that the chosen career path is the wrong one for them. This is a time for swallowing pride and admitting – “I made a mistake”. There is no shame in this. There is no shame in admitting a mistake was made. There is shame in continuing to pretend to be happy, pretending to b capable or piggybacking on the abilities of others.

This may also be the stage at which senior management make a decision they have made a mistake and placed an employee in a position the cannot handle. This is when a decision must be made to advise the employee “it is just not working out – you do not have what it takes. Keeping an employee in a position for which they are ill equipped will spell disaster for the company and the credibility of your senior managers.

If the three dimensions are planned carefully and the strategy set out on paper inclusive of the decision making process in each of the three scenarios then there can be no uncertainty or misunderstanding. The plan should outline the terms and conditions related to each aspect of the programme and the various candidates should be required to sign as an indication of understanding and agreement.

Des Squire is Managing Member at AMSI & ASSOCIATES cc and can be contacted on +27 11 609 6745, 082 800 9057 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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