Ask an Expert: Successful Succession Planning
Renée Hanson, Consultant
After thirteen years at the UW I had a final challenge, a double whammy that many of you will one day face: positioning one or more successors and transitioning to retirement. As is common at the University, my role was multi-faceted, and the hats I wore as manager of POD’s University Consulting Alliance, senior consultant, and facilitator of the Leadership Agility Series needed to be passed on. For my consultant role, POD Director Ujima Donalson set us up for success by involving me in the candidate interviews, onboarding my successor as early as possible, and asking that I introduce our new hire—Linda Callecod—to my network.
I wholeheartedly supported Ujima’s strategy and gave input as needed so that, overall, the transition went smoothly, with much owed to having found the right person for the job and to Linda being so adaptable, open, and eager to learn. Of course, every change has its challenges and rewards, and I hope sharing some of the lessons I learned will be of service whether you’re preparing for your own retirement or managing a transition in your organization.
Share Your Network
Considering my full client roster and busy schedule, we needed someone who could quickly get up to speed. The Consulting Alliance is a self-sustaining program, and we didn’t want it to take a big hit when I (and my billable hours) left. That said, my work as a consultant was steeped in relationships, and you can’t simply hand off relationships you’ve developed over years. I knew that Linda would need to forge her own relationships based on trust and mutual understanding, and I was able to help her lay the foundation.
Linda and I had about two months of overlap, which I understand is quite a luxury in today’s world. During that time, the two of us met with former and current POD clients across a broad spectrum of the University. At those meetings we inquired about the culture, recent changes, and current needs of the organization. Linda shared her experience, expertise, and interests, and I gave my perspective of how Linda’s expertise meshed with the goals and interests of our stakeholders.
In sharing your network, give careful thought to whom your successor needs to meet. Who is key to the success of your department? Who is integral to executing the various functions of your job? Remember, key people might include those outside your department and even outside the University.
You can also use the transition period as an opportunity to reconnect with people and organizations across the UW with whom you’ve lost contact. The introductory meetings can become an opportunity to make a fresh start via your new hire and to renew, rebuild, and even repair relationships.
Throughout the transition period, remember that your goal is to help build relationships between your successor and these key people. Difficult though it may be at times, this will require you to step back to let the new relationships take hold.
Honor the Old and the New
Along with meeting key people and establishing relationships, Linda needed to learn as much as possible about the University’s culture, including the various subcultures within units and departments. This was another area in which I could provide help, but it was important for me to balance the old with the new—my historic knowledge with Linda’s fresh perspective.
You may be in a position to provide your successor with volumes of information about an organization’s culture, people, history, successes, and failures. Be aware, however, that your context is built on events and interactions in the past, as filtered through your own perspective and approach. The future environment will be different, and the new person will have their own perspective and approach.
Your insider’s perspective is indispensable—but you do need to control how it’s dispensed. That means recognizing and managing your biases and not projecting those onto your successor. Balance letting go with maintaining support. One way to keep things in check is to provide information that you feel is necessary for your successor to know, but without accompanying advice or direction.
You may also need to manage your gut reactions if the new person doesn’t respond or react in a way that you’re accustomed to. Don’t let yourself get caught up in "but that’s not how we do things." Recognize that the new person’s newness is, in itself, a valuable commodity. A fresh outlook coupled with new methods can unlock opportunities for your department.
Our jobs these days are so complex and varied, it’s likely that not every aspect of your "old" position will be handed over to a single new person. My core consulting work went to Linda, but other parts of my job found new homes. For example, because Susan Templeton had developed a keen interest in leadership agility, it was decided she would take over facilitating the series on that topic that I’d developed. In this and other ways, my retirement provided an opportunity for organizational restructuring and for redistributing some integral tasks—giving others an opportunity to grow within their roles.
Accept Feelings of Loss
In our meetings with stakeholders, I got a kick out of seeing how well Linda connected with and was received by others, but the experience was also unsettling. The meetings gave me a unique opportunity to reconnect with former clients and colleagues and to express my appreciation and farewells. At the same time, however, my role was to facilitate inserting Linda into relationships in place of myself. As soon as I saw the sparks of connection between Linda and others, I had to step into the background.
At times I found myself anxious to be done with the whole succession process and onto the next chapter of my life. In retrospect, I see that my sense of loss was making me impatient. What I learned is that it’s easy to set your sights on the future and try to rush through the business of transition (while avoiding the personal side of things). In doing so, you may avoid some difficult emotions but you will lose opportunities to explore the impacts you’ve made.
Painful though it might feel at times, the more time and support you can give to the future success of the people within your organization, the better you’re honoring the investment and contribution you’ve made through your work.
Prepare for Life After Work
For some reason I had the notion that once I retired, my hobbies would show up. Even though I knew I was only going into semi-retirement—due to an ongoing part-time appointment with POD—I was sure that my newfound free time would be filled with new interests and endeavors.
What I discovered is that my hobbies were there all along. Through the succession process, I’ve clarified my life by homing in on the work that makes my heart sing—which is much of what I was doing before retirement! Facilitating communication and trust in organizations. Supporting individuals and groups in renegotiating relationships and restoring expectations. Helping individuals reconnect with their commitment to their organization’s success.
Ujima and others have supported my continuing connection with the UW and POD, and I’ve discovered that this connection is deep and abiding and brings me real satisfaction. I join in some meetings over the phone or via Skype, engage in the kind of research and development there’s precious little time to do when engaged in client work, and continue to work with some former UW clients.
Although some think about retirement as escaping work, the UW is filled with people whose passion won’t end when their jobs do. For me, retirement has been rediscovering what I love most about my work and having the freedom to pursue it while also having more time to expand my life and relationships outside of work. If you find yourself wondering how you might continue to contribute and stay engaged after retirement, I’d advise you to check out the new UW Encore Initiative.
