Why Succession Planning is a Strategic Imperative — Not Just HR Admin
Succession planning has a bit of an image problem.
It can leave you feeling tired, weary, and wondering “why did I start this?” Much like me about 100km into my four day epic trail ride last year!
For many leaders, it succession planning conjures up dusty nine-box grids and spreadsheet-heavy HR meetings - something they have to do rather than something they see real value in. But when it’s meaningful, succession planning becomes an essential part of talent management - not just a process, but a way of thinking about what talent your organisation needs, and why. Today and tomorrow.
It’s not about filling boxes or predicting the future with perfect accuracy. It’s about clarity: who has the potential to step up, where the risks are, and what support people need to get from here to there. And that clarity only comes when we strip things back. In my experience, the best succession conversations happen when leaders are working with simple, practical tools - not frameworks so complex they need a glossary to get started. When it feels relevant and human, they engage. When it feels like admin, they don’t.
🧩 What Good Succession Planning Looks Like
The best succession planning processes I’ve seen don’t start with org charts - they start with conversations. Conversations about potential, ambition, and readiness. About who’s stretching, who’s accelerating, and who needs more time to grow. It’s not a one-size-fits-all process. It’s about understanding people in context.
In my work, I often use simple flags - Grow, Stretch, Accelerate - that give leaders a shared language to describe talent in a way that’s easy to understand and act on. We also look at potential across three dimensions: ability, aspiration, and engagement. These aren’t just buzzwords. They help us ask the right questions:
Can they do more?
Do they want to?
Are they showing up and contributing fully where they are?
It’s also important to look beyond the individual and ask, “What do we need as an organisation - now and in the future?” Succession planning is just as much about future needs as it is about current performance. This is where defining the pivotal roles you need in your business is key - talent for what?
When leaders get this right, something shifts. They move from reactive ‘who’s next?’ thinking to a more proactive mindset: How do we build a bench of people who are ready for more - and keep them motivated, stretched, and supported along the way?
🌱 Making Succession Planning Meaningful
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that succession planning isn’t something you do once a year - and it certainly isn’t just an HR responsibility. When done well, it becomes part of how leaders think and talk about talent every day.
To make it meaningful, you need three things:
Clarity - about what great looks like in your context, now and in the future
Consistency - simple tools and frameworks that keep the conversation going
Commitment - leaders who take ownership for growing their people, not just filling roles
That’s where I come in.
I work with organisations to design and embed succession approaches that are practical, strategic, and grounded in real conversations - not just paperwork. Whether it’s introducing a new talent framework, developing your managers’ confidence to assess potential, or supporting a full talent review cycle, I help make it stick. And I always aim to leave people feeling clearer, more confident, and more engaged with the process - because that’s when the magic happens.
👉 Want to make succession planning work in your organisation?
How I can support you?
Whether it’s designing a simple, effective framework or helping your leaders have better talent conversations, I can help. Just get in touch - I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
