Does your
organization have a fail-safe leadership development and succession plan firmly
in place?
According to a
recent study by the Deloitte University Press, it is highly likely that your
organization is caught in a “leadership gap”.
86% of the
organizations that were surveyed stated that leadership development and
succession planning in fact constituted an “urgent need”. However, only a mere
13% of these organizations held the conviction that their organization was
doing an effective job of preparing for their next generation of leaders.
The critical
challenge that H.R. departments find themselves confronted with is how to
address the differing leadership needs throughout the various levels of their
organization. In one regard, performance oriented millennial candidates seek a fast
track to meaningful leadership roles.
On the other
hand, mid-level leaders require enhanced opportunities to broaden the scope and
depth of their abilities as a precursor to future leadership advancement. When
it comes to senior level leaders, it is imperative that your organization
maintain a serious commitment to mentoring its younger generation of leadership
candidates. Senior leaders must be able to transcend generational diversity
while freely sharing their experience and inherent knowledge of the
organization, its nuances and potential pitfalls.
It is also
critical for the senior level and executive leaders to demonstrate their buy-in
to the leadership development and succession planning process. This tier of
leadership needs to be actively involved and thoroughly engaged in grooming
future up and coming leaders.
Additionally,
your organization must comprehend that succession planning encompasses every
level of your organization and extends far beyond its top executives.
Attrition, competitor recruitment, injury, health issues and death far out
number retirement as a consideration with respect to leadership succession.
The retirement
or sudden loss of a competent leader not only creates a void, it directly
impairs the functionality and continuity of the organization’s leadership
dynamic. At the heart of the leadership development and succession planning
issue lies the realization that qualified workers will in time succeed their supervisors,
who will in turn succeed mid-level managers, who as well will succeed your
organization’s senior executives.
A crucial key
for successive leadership development and succession planning is the
cultivation an appropriate mindset on the part of every member of your
organization, from the organization’s boardroom to its boiler room.
Leadership is
clearly the #1 talent issue of organizations globally. Business, industry and
government find themselves hard pressed to develop leaders at all levels of
their organizations.
Copyright © 2014 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.
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