My dear son,
Apologize for not replying to you
promptly. I was really touched when you mentioned about the issue of succession
planning in your organization. Actually, the dilemma of leadership succession has long been the subject of discussion
in many organizations. It is an emotionally charged power struggle played out
by leaders on the decision towards the would-be heir. Sometimes, it is the
situation in which the leader’s fear of giving up control can block the
successor’s path to the top spot. As you know, leadership successions occur as
a trumpet for the premature departures of existing leaders.
But son,
as you said earlier, succession planning is one of those initiatives that many organizations
don't find the time to start until it's too late. Many organizations do not
address succession planning ahead and therefore end up facing the burden in the
middle of a crisis. To many, the successor’s dilemma
is the dominant cause of failure in leadership transition. So you must realize
that when any of the leader approaches retirement age or at the end of the
service, there is a need to designate a successor. Leadership succession is a
high-stake situation, but the fact is, most leaders aren’t prepared to deal
with it. You should know son, history prevailed with the succession story that plays
out with similar themes. Sometimes, the existing leaders are not ready to give
up control of the organizations while for the would-be leaders, succession is a
time of great excitement; a chance to climb to the top. For some of the
incumbent leaders, succession is the end of their careers, and even mortality
itself. In many cases, the relationships between the leaders and the successors
who’re hoping for the replacement are so fraught with emotion.
As you said son, normally, the management will screen the internal
candidates to identify the one who possesses all the skills necessary to propel
the organization forward. But don’t be surprised son, if it didn’t turn out to
be as it should be, especially if the incumbent is in the process of securing
the position or highlighting his or her favorite successor. Slowly but surely,
the drama of leadership succession begins. It would be impossible to link every
failed leadership succession to a single phenomenon. There will always be an
internal political system involved. You should know that a number of impressive
strategic initiatives might be created by the incumbent that yield surprisingly
bad remarks to the potential successors - in securing his or her position or in
building the credibility of his or her favorite successor. Silently son, a
bright star will be notified with the assurance that he or she will ascend to
the top spot. Meanwhile, be careful son, because normally the alienation
process of the other successors created underneath. In the midst of this
intense period, the backbiting culture and “scratching the back” developed
rampantly. In this context, many will start to ponder the meaning and extent of
friendship; the question of a diminishing culture in which employees cared for
and respected one another.
My dear son,
In many organizations, in the process of securing the position or
establishing of the favorite candidate, the tactical strategies begin to
emerge. Thinking they have no other alternatives, the incumbents might continue
to pursue their agenda to win the board’s approval. In fact, in many cases they
might try harder than ever to impose their strategic plan. The incumbents
surely doing their homework well before taking the tactical strategies. That
process, normally found, includes highlighting weaknesses or “personality
killing” of the other successors and put them in a difficult situation that
full of ambiguity; the creating of misunderstandings and missed cues of the
fragile leadership-in-transition dynamic. You should know son, with persistence
and practice, such a process can lead to lasting results. The tension aroused
and potential successors drawn into a battle that they never intended to fight.
Teams created and management falling apart. One thing for sure son, hard times
will always reveal true friends.
On the other hand son, for those who are strong-hearted, they treat
the battles like a book. Some chapters are sad, some are happy and some are
exciting, but if they never turn the page, they will never know what the next
chapter has in store for them. They could even consider the battles like a
roller coaster, and it has its ups and downs, and it’s their choice to scream
or enjoy the ride. For some, silence speaks when words can’t, they may just
shut up, swallow the pain, give up, and accept that as a curse by God; just
have faith that everything will work out for the best. While others may take
the risks with the consideration that if they win, they will be happy, and if
they lose, they will be wise. Someone might say let’s forgive and forget, but son,
in reality, forgiving is easy, but being able to trust them again is a totally
different story. Someone may take battle as a challenge and the first step of
success, but to me, the real fact is correction of that situation is the first
step of success. As mentioned by Mahatma Gandhi, “Strength does not come from
winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships
and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
So my dear son, you need
to understand how to manage the development of the high performers so that they
are a step ahead of their competitors. Your effort required to establish a
development program for future leaders is worthwhile because it creates a
motivated and capable group of employees that are ready to move forward in your
organization when the need arises. Meanwhile, in
order to gain power and position, don’t ever forget that beauty isn’t about
having a pretty face. It is about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and
most importantly, a beautiful soul. Let’s break old behavioral habits and
establish new ones. As a leader, you should treat people the way you want to be
treated. By right, in struggling for the succession, you should consider that
relationship is not just holding hands while having understanding between each
other. It’s also having lots of misunderstandings and still not leaving each
other’s hands. If you want to be success in the battle, you should see the
goal, understand the obstacles, create a positive mental picture, clear the
mind of self doubt, embrace the challenge, stay on track, and show the world
that you can do it. If you want to be in the battle, be in with dignity, and
out with pride. At least, when you win the battle, you know you deserved it.
As a leader, you should do the benchmarking on an effective
succession plan for your organization. Please determine appropriate methods
for assessing your employee development needs. Try to capitalize on leadership
system destined for succession planning, and don’t forget to leverage the roles and
responsibilities for planning and implementation. As a leader, you should
identify the challenges in keeping top talent
in your organization, and most of all, build a retention focus
strategy for your employees.
You must remember that everyone
should be allowed to retain and grow their talent. By giving a fair
opportunity, they will feel valued, remain motivated and more satisfied. It
will also allow them to hone their styles and skills to the needs of the
organization and enjoy personal success which will in turn benefit all.
Listen to me son… Let the best man win!