Harvard Business Review stated that the CEO succession process is broken in the U. S. and around the world. This results in poor performance followed by higher turnover and corporate instability. But organizations need to be thinking broader than just CEO succession – they need to dig deeper into the organization when thinking “succession.” As labor shortages increase, succession planning and leadership development require strategic initiatives requiring rigorous consideration.  Organizations must move away from the “replacement” mindset to measuring success long term.  Are the right people moving at the right pace into the right jobs at the right time?  Attention should be directed to capturing the intellectual capital that exists within the organization and developing leadership candidates.

Learning Objectives:

1.    Identify where in the organizational structure succession planning should begin
2.    Discuss leadership development as a fundamental element of succession planning
3.    Describe leadership development tools, opportunities, and activities
4.    Distinguish the roles of those involved in succession planning