That’s a paraphrase of Joseph Epstein’s 2016 Wall Street Journal commentary “These Five Are the Best We Can Do?” lamenting the U.S. presidential candidate slate. Some feel the question can be applied to this election.
Regardless of the election, here’s the question for you: Is your business succession slate any better off?
Too many leaders wait until positions become open to fill them. That is too late. Succession planning is often in the “to do” list but rarely acted on, much less consistently.
The time to prepare candidates is in advance of the opening. For the most important roles, preparations should be ongoing and involve several layers of potential candidates.
Succession is also a reflection of culture and systems. For businesses and presidential politics alike, the candidates reflect the overall system of candidacy … the system, in part, determines the nature of candidates. How well does your system work?
Application:
* What do your candidates “say” about your business?
* Do you have a strong, constant pipeline of excellent candidates for key roles?
* What are the risks of an inadequate pipeline?
* What about your “candidate system” needs changing?
* What can you do in your area to start right now?
Posted on LinkedIn today, as an update from my earlier post https://www.mikerussell.com/2016/04/12/business-succession/
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