Here's how you can ensure long-term career growth through succession planning in Internal Communications.

To ensure long-term career growth through succession planning in Internal Communications: Identify Potential Leaders: Recognize employees with the skills and potential for leadership roles. Provide Training and Development: Offer targeted training programs to develop necessary skills. Mentorship Programs: Pair potential leaders with experienced mentors for guidance. Create Advancement Opportunities: Design clear career paths and opportunities for advancement. Regularly Review and Adjust Plans: Continuously assess and update succession plans to align with organizational changes and goals.

Once you identify talent, inform the “potential successors” of their role in the process. Give them a roadmap of expectations and commitments. Provide clarity, training, and opportunities for growth. When employees feel valued, they actively shape the organization’s future.

Avoid thinking in terms of like-for-like replacement. There are many valid approaches to a given role. Make space for non-standard paths, and be open to the additional value that different experience can bring.

For large, matrixed communications teams, there are often opportunities to shadow or cross-train with other comms folks who support other parts of the business. I've also heard about rotational programs that assign low- to mid-level communicators (specialists and managers) two years to one business unit (like HR or Finance), and then rotate them to another unit to get to know the company better and get them out of a rut. Finally, stretch assignments are huge. Collaborate with a peer on a project to launch a new tool. Work with a business partner on a slightly different communications challenge than you normally do.

I like to think in terms of skills, aptitudes, talents and mindsets. Skills can be taught; aptitudes are inherent potentials; talents are innate abilities; and mindsets shape how an individual approaches the development of the others. You may identify aptitudes, talents and mindsets in your people before they are fully aware of them themselves. How can you nurture them?

Succession planning is crucial for both business continuity and employee growth. It allows people to visualize their career progression within your company, increasing their responsibility and providing pathways to leadership roles or more senior positions. In my past roles, I would immerse team members in the responsibilities they needed to assume for long-term career growth. For example, I included an Internal Communications leader in executive meetings regarding recognition awards. After three such meetings, she confidently took over the process. This approach ensures your people are prepared for future roles, fostering a culture of growth and development.