Successful Practices in
Succession Planning
A Panel Discussion
What is Succession Planning?
The basics
It is a means for an organization to ensure its continued effective
performance through leadership continuity
In order to prepare potential leaders, the gap between what they
are ready for now and what preparation they need to be ready for
the job when it is available needs to be determined
By considering their past performance as a volunteer, past
experience, fit with the organizational culture, and other members'
acceptance of them as a potential leader, the best fit can be
determined
Succession Planning
The Process
1. Determine the key leaders for whom successors will be identified
2. Identify the competencies of current key leaders
Identify experience and duties required
Identify personality, political savvy, judgment
Identify leadership skills
3. Select the high-potential members who will participate in
succession planning
Identify gap between what the high-potential members are able to do
presently and what they must do in the leadership role
Create a development plan for each high-potential member to prepare him
or her for the leadership position
Perform development activities with each high-potential member
Succession Planning
The Process
4. Interview and select a member for the new leadership position
5. Evaluate succession planning efforts and make changes to program
based on evaluation for future programs
SHRM Resources for Succession Planning
In the Volunteer Leaders Resource Center
www.shrm.org/Communities/VolunteerResources/Pages/succplg.aspx
The 10-Step Succession Plan for Chapter Leaders (PowerPoint
Presentation or Recorded Webinar with Sound)
Succession Planning Questionnaire (Word Document)
Board Roster Template for Succession Planning (Word Document)
Succession Planning Competencies (Word Document)
Stepping Stones to Enhanced Leadership - Leadership Development
Program of the Austin Human Resource Management Association (2009
Pinnacle Award Winner)
Pinnacle Award Compendium:
www.shrm.org/Communities/VolunteerResources/ResourcesforChapters/P
ages/award_info.aspx
Panel Discussion
Successful Succession Plans
Lori Rohre, SPHR
Austin HRMA 2012 President
Stepping Stones to Enhanced Leadership
SHRM Pinnacle Award Winner
Module 1: DiSC Assessment Tool Self Discovery
Walking through the DiSC model
Understanding the DiSC management styles
Identifying your management strengths and challenges
Module 2: DiSC Assessment Tool Building Collaborative Teams
Motivation
How to develop others
Working with your manager
Module 3: Communication
Start with heart
Learn to look
Make it safe
Master my stories
State my PATH
Explore others paths
Move to action
Module 4: Employee Engagement
Leaders play a key role in employee engagement
Do you believe there is a hierarchy of needs for employee engagement?
Understanding coaching, feedback & motivating through recognition
Navigating the mentoring relationship
Module 5: Planning & Organization
Setting goals and planning time to obtain them
Procrastination
Clutter styles
Module 6: Leadership
Thinking strategically - the role of HR
Choose to be a change leader
Change leader vs. Change management
Trust building
Increasing trust in your organization
Panel Discussion
Successful Succession Plans
Sharon Sellers, SPHR, GPHR
South Carolina State Council Director-Elect
Plans, Training, and Automobiles
11
SC SHRM State Council
The Plan: Who Goes Where
SC SHRM State Council Executive Positions:
Secretary/Treasurer
Director Elect
Director
Immediate Past Director
Each person remains in a position for two years
Then that person rolls into the next level position from
Secretary/Treasurer on up to Immediate Past Director
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SC SHRM State Council
The Plan: Who Does What
SC SHRM State Council Executive Positions:
Secretary/Treasurer Minutes and Financials
Director Elect Annual State Conference and prep for
Director
Director Four council meetings a year, chapter support,
communication to council and chapter presidents, SHRM
national meetings, etc.
Immediate Past Director assistance with all of the above,
much-needed guidance, oversees the Strategic Academy preconference workshop
All of the above help with the conference, from greeting attendees
to stuffing conference bags
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SC SHRM State Council
The Training
Normally, the Secretary/Treasurer is chosen from the State Council
and has already shown leadership, competence, and dedication to
SHRM
Secretary/Treasurer has already seen first-hand what the Council does
Once he/she volunteers for/agrees to/is recruited for the position,
the person works with the incumbent to learn how to do the job
That incumbent rolls into the Director-Elect position and is available to
help the Secretary/Treasurer with issues and questions
The Director-Elects main job function is to be the chairperson for the
annual conference. All of the executive committee is also on the
conference committee, so the Director-Elect has a good idea of what all
is involved.
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SC SHRM State Council
Pros and Cons
PROS
Learn by observing and
doing
Have the incumbent
available to help
Each knows the others
job, so can pinch hit
when necessary
Good culture to work in,
which makes it fun
CONS
We all have strengths and
weaknesses not all perfect in
each role
Different people with different
methods can cause confusion
from year to year
Not everyone can forecast 8
years out what theyll be doing
employment changes
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SC SHRM State Council
The Training and Lessons Learned
We now have an accounting firm who can help us with filing tax
forms and who also will hold all of the important documents so we
dont have to run from person to person to obtain historical financial
information
We are trying to go more paperless and put files on flashdrives
instead of having boxes of docs to hand over
We are trying to keep people in the hopper for council positions
for example, we were fortunate that we had an assistant
certification chair and when our certification chair had to resign, the
assistant was right there to take over, will try to do more of that in
future years
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SC SHRM State Council
Why We Succeed
We all work together. If one gets bogged down at work (the paying
job) and cant do a duty, the rest care enough about the success of
the council to pitch in.
We like each other. This sounds strange, but if you like the people
you work with, you are able to get along even when things are
getting crazy and stressful, like when the conference is starting and
something is going terribly wrong.
We have fun. Food and alcohol is occasionally involved, but we
still enjoy being together and respect each other as professionals in
our various fields of HR.
We have a sense of humor. When something goes wrong, we may
spend a few minutes sounding off, but then we figure out
alternatives and have learned to laugh along the way.
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SC SHRM State Council
Succession Plans: AKA Plans, Training, and Automobiles
The Automobile Part:
A Real Life Example of How the Entire Council Worked Together to
Get a Delorean to Come to the Conference
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Panel Discussion
Successful Succession Plans
Jennifer C. Loftus, MBA, SPHR-CA, GPHR, CCP,
CBP, GRP
Immediate Past President of the HR Assn. of NY
HR/NYs Leadership Continuity Committee
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HR/NY Leadership Continuity Committee
About HR/NY
Founded 1948
Legal Name The Human Resources Association of New York
Members Just over 2,000
US Ranking SHRM's largest 100% chapter, SHRM's first affiliated local
chapter (#0001), and the 6th largest chapter in the United States
Fiscal and Programming Years July 1 through June 30
Geographic Reach The 5 boroughs of New York City and surrounding
suburbs
Number of Committees, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and Forums 32
Number of Active Board Members 56
Number of Voting Board Members 16
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HR/NY Leadership Continuity Committee
Pre-2003
No formal succession planning process
Scramble to find talent
Lean towards friends, colleagues, and repeat volunteers
Difficult to manage leadership selection with a growing Board
2003: LCC Process Introduced
Developed by Past President Al Smith
Independent Board committee
Chaired by the Immediate Past President
4 6 members
Immediate Past President
President
President-Elect
1 3 other voting Board members
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HR/NY Leadership Continuity Committee
LCC Timing and Process
December: Distribute Aspirations Survey to all HR/NY members
and current HR/NY Board members
Short- and long-term goals for volunteering / roles
January May: Meet in-person and telephonically 3 5 times
Have confidential, hard discussions
Explore immediate needs
Attempt to plan for the next 2 years
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HR/NY Leadership Continuity Committee
LCC Timing and Process
January May: Conduct phone calls / meetings with current and
proposed Board Members
Identify and confirm role for next year: continuing,
different, stepping down
Late March: Finalize slate of officers
Present at April board meeting for approval
April: Distribute ballots to all HR/NY members
May: End of voting
May: Executive Director tallies votes
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HR/NY Leadership Continuity Committee
LCC Timing and Process
Announcement of new officers
To Board at May or June Board meeting
To members at the June annual membership meeting
April June: Identify Committee, SIG, and Forum chairs and cochairs
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HR/NY Leadership Continuity Committee
Challenges and Changes
Life happens
Get current leaders to plan and groom future talent
Move towards year-round touch points, rather than LCC season
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Successful Practices in
Succession Planning
A Panel Discussion
