Succession Planning Starts Early

  • 1 min read
Personality

Have you made a succession plan yet?

No matter where you are in your career you should be thinking about and considering a succession plan.

This goes for your day job aka “your career” and it also goes for volunteer and philanthropic projects and effort where you spend your time.

Pro Tip: Create a succession plan for your volunteer efforts too.

One way to handle a succession plan is to do something that I call a one folder handoff. I wrote about it here in The Fastest Way to Get Promoted.

In a one folder handoff scenario you are helping yourself to help others by sharing what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, how you’re doing it, and when you’re doing it.

A few other ways to think about and hopefully get you thinking as to WHY you need a Succession Plan.

Pro Tip: A Succession Plan will help you Stand Out In Your Career

  • Side Hustle – Having a side hustle is great. Everyone should have at least one … as I wrote about in Get a Side Hustle. However, even side hustles should have a succession plan. At some point you may get bored or tired or just sidetracked on another side hustle. If you want your Side Hustle’s to continue on … Build In a Succession Plan.
  • Reduced Bus Coefficient – This is a bit of a grim reminder and a harsh way to think about it, but if something tragic happens you owe it to yourself, your legacy, and your team to have a succession plan in place. I wrote Why You Want a Low Bus Coefficient for this reason.
    • PS – If it makes you happier … Consider this the “Lottery Factor” – what would happen to your projects if you won the lottery.

The reasons you want to have a succession plan can be long and somewhat convoluted. But, the main reason you want to succession plan is so that you can move on, move up, or just move around. Having a succession plan allows you the luxury and peace of mind of knowing that your efforts will be around after you have moved on.

Don’t be wedded to your plan

If you are the only person that can do what you do you might feel great about that, but you better really love it because you’re going to be doing it for a very very long time. Being too wedded to your plan might give you the perception that you are indispensable and irreplaceable. But, the fact is … EVERYONE is replaceable.

Be Great at What You Do … then document it and be ready to move on, move up and/or move around.

There is nothing wrong with being the best at what you do. However, like most people that are intellectually curious they want to learn what else is out there. This is where a succession plan comes into play. Make it a practice to create a succession plan. Your career will thank you for it.

So, who will succeed you?

Picture of Jeff Shuey

Jeff Shuey

Jeff is an expert in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2. He is currently consulting with Microsoft and partners to drive Community Engagement and Alliances. Follow him on Twitter @jshuey or on LinkedIn: in/JeffShuey

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