4 Things Every Successor Needs To Succeed

February 20, 2019

4 Things Every Successor Needs To Succeed

A leadership transition is never easy on a business. Communication patterns get disrupted, reporting relationships shift, and the entire company struggles to find a new status quo.

Of all the people involved, no one struggles quite as much as the leader’s successor. Not only does this successor have to manage the explicit responsibilities of the job but a whole new pattern of implicit networks of relationships and communication as well.

All the while, the new successor is expected to maintain or produce solid results right away. After all, they’ve got to “prove themselves” to everyone in the organization.

Add to this the fact that most successors need serious training and development to grow into their new roles. It's no wonder many of them struggle with imposter syndrome.

As specialists in business successions, we see this kind of thing all the time. But what we’ve found is that outgoing leaders have the unique ability to address it up front.

It all begins with communication and planning. As soon as a successor is identified, outgoing leaders should hash out a plan to provide the successor with the following four things:

Access to the informal communication pipeline.
Legitimacy in the eyes of the organization.
Training in relevant knowledge and skills categories.
Support in terms of personal and professional approval.

Have you set your incoming successor up for his or her new position? By providing access, legitimacy, training, and support, outgoing leaders can help successors get right to work without having to muddle through months of an awkward transition.

One more thing, if you're struggling with navigating what comes next, get in touch.

Succession Strength, Inc keeps businesses in business for generations. Learn more about our Succession and Business Transition services. or take the survey today to assess your family business succession efforts.