Welcome to our second blog post about succession planning—a hot topic that repeatedly came up at last year’s NGFA Country Elevator Conference. Attendees told us they needed guidance on moving their company forward when it came time to bid farewell to long-term employees.
It’s a big deal when an incumbent retires, and this transition time gives leaders and owners a chance to assess the soon-to-be-open role objectively. It’s trickier than it sounds. In many cases, a role has morphed over time to align with the incumbent’s strengths, priorities, and even personality. So, here’s the question leaders and managers must ask themselves: How can we define (or redefine) the role now to accurately reflect what we need from a new hire and support the needs of the team/company moving forward?
Some do’s and don’ts for defining a key role
To understand both the challenges and the best practices related to this aspect of succession planning, let’s imagine two employees named Jack and Jill.
Meet Jack
Jack’s been the company operations manager for 30 years, and he can fix anything. Short of hiring someone three years in advance to shadow Jack and learn all of his tricks of the trade, how the heck will the company function when Jack leaves? PANIC!
First, DON’T panic.
Second, DON’T hire someone years before Jack retires.
Third, DO take a step back to look at the big-picture reasons why Jack’s role is important in the company and what skills are needed to replace him. Focus on what the company NEEDS to be successful, rather than how Jack succeeded in his role.
The surface-level answer is that Jack keeps the equipment humming. The deeper answer, however, is that Jack reduces company downtime by conducting expert-level hands-on repairs. With this big-picture business goal in mind, Jack’s replacement may not need to possess incredible repair skills. Instead, the best new hire for the job (and for the company) could reduce downtime by being pretty good at fixing things—and really great at creating systems, processes, and schedules to stay on top of preventative maintenance so fewer problems arise in the first place. When something does break, the new hire also knows which internal and external resources to call to get it fixed, pronto.
(Read how a well-defined role makes the interview process more effective.)
Meet Jill
This kind of big-picture analysis is also useful when someone known for building strong relationships is leaving. In this example, Jill has represented a feed company and its products for 25 years. Customers adore her and practically think of her as their family. When Jill retires, will those customers turn elsewhere for their feed or astronomy products and services?
No—provided leaders stop thinking of Jill as a one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable individual and pinpoint what strengths and qualities led to her success. What does Jill do to build those long-term relationships? What behaviors does she exhibit? A great salesperson is organized, proactive, reliable, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. They’re proud to be part of a highly reputable company. They understand how their contributions help move the company forward and are 100% committed to doing their best.
Spelling out concrete skills and behaviors like these helps leaders let go of their “There’s no one like Jill” thinking. It also makes the recruitment task manageable by providing a tangible framework for questions and conversations during screening interviews.
(Read this article about the importance of conducting in-depth interviews.)
Take your time
Transitions can be tough, but periods of change give owners and leaders a chance to thoughtfully and carefully assess key roles at the company. This is essential when it’s a job that no one’s really thought about in decades. Difficult as it may be to lose a long-standing member of the team, there’s a real upside to figuring out what skills and strengths are best suited for the open position—skills and strengths that will go a long way toward helping the business accomplish its goals.
Next month, we’ll explore how to prepare the next generation of hires so they’re ready for the job when you need them. If you have questions about succession planning, we can help. Email Erin today.