Leaders must be fully engaged in finding and developing their successor. When they are ready to leave, they must leave. Organizations are living organisms that respond favorably to growth and renewal. Leaders who struggle with this fact remain in the job too long and consequently hurt the very organization they have built.

Leaders, however, who have a clear understanding of what makes an organization prosper plan for and actively engage in finding the next person to take over. Marshall Goldsmith recently defined three key areas of focus for executive succession in his book titled Succession: Are You Ready? According to Goldsmith, leaders need to have a clear sense of their strengths and gaps, let this understanding drive the finding of the next leader and finally be able to let go when the time comes. Let's take a closer look.

Defining "What Is"
The first step in the process of succession is often times the hardest, as successful people usually feel they have a clear sense of who they are and what they stand for.  Of course, this is based upon a long history of accomplishments in the job. This very success, however, can get in the way of discovery and future selection of the next leader. Success is often times defined through results and getting the job done. These success stories, however, are often told through the eyes of the beholder and lack a degree of objectivity. This is where a little science can sharpen the picture by conducting a targeted assessment package and the services of an executive coach.

Leaders who are building a process for succession need to engage in an assessment process that takes an objective look at what makes them tick. There are many such assessments on the market to assist this process. One means for leaders to sort through all of this is to engage an executive coach to assist them in not only building a plan, but also in the selection an array of assessment measures that provide insights into the following key dimensions.

Strengths and Gaps
Leaders need to have a clear understanding of what they do well and where they need development. An assessment process would provide answers to such key questions as:
•    How well does the leader manage change?
•    Do they rally the team to drive results and are they approachable?
•    How do they manage conflict?
•    Are they strategic?

Information and insights into such key behavioral areas is important in that leaders make a mark and influence others based upon these strengths and gaps. It is how they lead. This has definite implications for picking the future leader of the organization.
 
Values. Values are the drivers of behavior. We all tend to be motivated by what we believe in and so too with leaders. It is very important to understand the underlying values and beliefs that drive what leaders do each day. For instance:

• Do they recognize others for what they do for the organization?
• Are they team oriented?
• Are they customer-focused?
• Do they care about the community and how the company is perceived by others?
• Are they mission driven or money driven?
• Are their decisions based upon hard data or intuition?

Identifying these drivers will provide a clear understanding of what the leader values in others and the footprint that was made throughout the organization. Again, just as strengths and gaps are important, values have important implications for the future leader. In other words, what drives the future leader's behavior?

Finding the Successor
Once leaders have a clear sense of who they are and the effect they have had on the organization, it is time to begin to look for someone who will take the organization into the future. The key elements at this phase are the characteristics of the successor, the internal culture and its employees, promoting from within or going outside and the current and future customer-base.

It is essential to provide the same level of assessment rigor to the successor as was applied to the leader. However, before beginning this assessment phase, be sure to answer one important question. Who and what do we need to take us to the next level?  For instance, the current business may have been built through the development of strong relationships and now the business needs an operations person to guide it to the next level, or possibly a strategist. Before assessing who can fill these leadership shoes, it is important to answer this questions and set the context and organizational needs for leadership.

Once the context and needs are set, the assessment process will be highly relevant. It is the context and needs of the organization that will bring the assessment data to light. For instance, if you are looking for an operational leader and the assessment data is showing a strategist who hates operations; there is a clear disconnect. Hiring this person would be disastrous for the future of the company. Conversely, when the data shows a match; there is potential for alignment and fit. This doesn't mean that this person is the right choice. It just brings a clearer focus to their candidacy and possible choice for the job.

Next be certain that you have input and alignment with current staff as they will make or break the succession planning process. It is very important that the new leader hit the road running and when done right the current staff will provide the organizational support that is needed for a successful transition. They will do what needs to be done to make the new leader successful. Knowing the staff and what they need are key elements in setting a positive context for change.

There is a great deal of evidence to support promoting from within. Collins and Porras in Built to Last showed time and time again that successful transitions occurred when companies developed their own. Yes, there will be times when you need a dramatic change and going outside the culture makes all the sense in the world. However, the transition will take longer and the organization may suffer due to the dramatic change in leadership style.

None of this will work; however, without the customer. The successor must be able to provide leadership in four key areas: taking care of existing customers, finding new ones, cultivating those that are soon to become customers and finally influencing those that refuse to work with the company. The new leader must be able to address each of these key areas in building the customer base.

Letting Go
As members of the human race we all have a common dilemma. We like to hold on to those things that give us pleasure and bring us success. Letting go of such pleasure can be difficult at best and demoralizing at worst. However, if the new leader is going to be able to lead; the letting go process must occur. It is healthy for the leader to take the following into consideration when moving through the final phase of the succession planning process.

Recognize the good work that has been done. This is applied to the previous contributions as a leader of the organization, as well as, the steps in the succession planning process in finding the new leader.

Set the focus towards present/future. It is absolutely essential that the leader not wallow in the past. Working on the present with the future in mind will move the leader forward.

Set a new challenge. Successful leaders are driven by challenges that need to be solved and overcome. They thrive on charging up the hill and getting the job done. When a leader has planned to move and remains in the organization too long, the challenge diminishes and the leader's presence can become a distraction for everyone. So, it is very important during this transition that the leader find a new endeavor and get actively engaged in it. This engagement in a new challenge will create the space for the new leader to begin the work ahead.

When considering succession of a new leader for the organization, consider following the three phases of personal assessment, new successor match with the organizational culture and customers and finally the movement of the former leader towards a new challenge. It is through these three phases that a smooth transition can occur. Always keep in mind the value of an external resource, such as an executive coach, to provide perspective and insight along the way. This is a succession planning process that will reaps benefits for the organization and the individual stepping in and consequently the organization will not miss a beat.

Ron is the Managing Principal for CMI, International, Inc. an Atlanta-based firm. CMI is part of CPI, a talent management partnership consisting of 65 partners worldwide. Ron is currently teaching at the Coles Business School at Kennesaw State University in the Executive MBA program, delivering a program that certifies managers to be internal coaches and also serves on the advisory board. He received his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in Educational Psychology.