The Overlooked Moral Imperative In Your Company And IT Team

Succession planning specifically, and leadership development overall, is generally lacking in companies and IT because they don’t understand the value of a leadership farm system.

“My people are a rope of sand.” George Whitefield, commenting on his lack of leadership development and reproducible systems.

In a day and age of Likes and Followers, you have a moral imperative to develop leaders.?

Anything shy undermines business in our country; anything less is an affront to the generations that follow us.

I recently asked about your challenges in succession planning. The biggest challenge is one I didn’t offer you to vote on: Companies have no leadership farm system.

No More Striking Out

The concept is borrowed from Major League Baseball.

The farm system refers to a network of minor league teams affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs.?

Before the farm system, independent minor league teams operated separately from major league clubs. MLB teams acquired players by purchasing their contracts from independent minor leagues.

The modern farm system was pioneered by Branch Rickey. While working for the St. Louis Cardinals, Rickey realized that MLB teams were paying hefty fees to acquire minor league players.

He developed a system in which the Cardinals bought and controlled minor league teams, allowing them to develop their own talent instead of relying on independent clubs.

Other MLB teams saw the success of the Cardinals' farm system and began developing their own.

This led to a structured player development model, where prospects progressed through different levels (Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A) before reaching the majors.

Now, every MLB team has a fully integrated farm system with several minor league affiliates. The system ensures long-term player development, helping teams grow talent rather than relying solely on trades or free-agent signings.

You and your company rely on free-agent signings. It’s expensive in more ways than one.

It’s Your Funeral

I don’t want to be remembered for the projects I accomplished. I want to be remembered by people in whom I made a difference; family first, but also those I worked with and developed.?

If you are with me on this, then you understand why I say that leadership development/succession planning is a moral imperative. When you die, part of you lives on in the people you affected and the people they affect.

When you die, your projects grow obsolete until they, too, are but a memory.

You don’t want followers who are a rope of sand. You want leaders (of all types) who reproduce more leaders.

Growing The Farm

A Leadership Farm System (LFS) is based on certain assumptions:

• Healthy leaders and organizations reproduce.
• Leaders are made.
• Learning is hands-on and alongside.
• LFS is the most effective and economic strategy for attraction, engagement, development, retention and promotion.

A LFS is also driven by certain values:

• Leadership development must be intentional not just incidental.
• The goal is transformation not just impartation.
• Training beats trying.
• Culture needs to be worked in and not just adhered to.
• Leadership development must be simple, customizable and reproducible.?
• Learning is maximized through experience

In a LFS, employees:

• Understand from onboarding that they are in a development culture
• Possess a growth trajectory
• Have an answer to the question, “Where can I go in this company?”
• Are part of an intentional and supported system for career advancement or expanded influence
• See succession planning in place and working
• Learn what to identify in people as possible team members or leaders

Perhaps this is another way for IT to lead out: The farm system starts with you. It’s a major undertaking. It’s a moral imperative. The latter drives the former.?

Leadership development is your Why. It always has been.