Why we aren't good at developing successors

If Onboarding is the most over-looked part of the Employee Lifecycle, then Succession Planning (which spreads across Development, Retention and Separation) has to be the proverbial red-headed step-child!

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I can think of no other business strategy that gets more “lip-service” than the grooming of our next generation of leaders. Yet, it is understandable when you consider human behavior and tendencies. Just look at the things we put off only to face the consequences in the future…

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• Poor Diet and Lack of Exercise – catch up to us in multiple ways as we age.? It is estimated that over 40% of the US population is obese and almost 60% have at least one chronic disease (like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, etc.).
• Financial Planning – the average American carries close to $8000 in credit card debt and almost half have no retirement savings.?
• Relationship Health – there is good news!? The divorce rate for first time marriages is down to 43% from 50%.? The bad news is… second marriages still end in divorce 60% of the time and third marriages over 73%.?

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Why these things get the short-end of the stick can be explained by something called the Eisenhower Matrix. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, said in a 1954 speech…

“I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”

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Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, took Eisenhower’s words and used them to develop the task management tool known as the Eisenhower Matrix.

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This tool helps you divide your tasks into four categories: Do, Decide, Delegate and Delete.

And as you can see above, the solution to things that are Important and not Urgent (like Succession Planning) is simply summed up in the matrix with “Schedule It.”?

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Well, I don’t know about you, but I play this game called “How far and often can I keep moving that task?” until it escalates into the “Must Do It Now” part of the matrix.? I have a feeling I’m not alone. ;-)

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The only trick I know for keeping myself accountable to what I know I should do is… have someone else hold me accountable (often with consequences) if I start to slack off.? Why do you think places like hair salons, spas and doctor’s offices have a cancellation policy that charge you a fee if you cancel within 24 hours??

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Because they know how many people would cancel last minute if that didn’t exist!? But the consequence keeps us accountable when we are about to sacrifice the Important for the Urgent.?

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Do yourself a favor. Stop telling yourself that you will get to it – someday.? There will always be something more Urgent than Succession Planning on your plate. Find someone to hold you accountable!

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~ Nancy Roberts

The DISC Wizard

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QUOTES ON SUCCESSION PLANNING

“Why do I need succession planning?? I’m very alert, I’m very vibrant.? I have no intention of retiring.”?

~ Sheldon Adelson, founder, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation

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“The goal of this process is not to make current management replaceable, but to secure the continuity and continued growth and success of the organization.”

?~ Ed Krow, HR Strategist