By Natalie Michael, CHRP

Most organizations these days are looking for ways to develop their successors.  There are many classic actions an organizations can take, such as leadership assessments, coaching, and progressive job assignments.

For those looking for something new, in a high impact/low risk way, here are three creative succession tactics which can help your organization to develop successors:

Acting Executive Assignments During Vacations
Every executive goes on vacation for a few weeks per year which is an excellent opportunity for someone to step into their role and to get a taste of executive life in the organization.  I was recently speaking with the vice president, human resources for a private organization; she mentioned that vacation coverage is actually one of the most highly valued development opportunities in the company.  They assign acting executives for all top roles, right up to the CEO.

Each time an executive goes on vacation they assign someone to take over their role. During an executive’s vacation the acting executive attends meetings on the incumbent’s behalf, handles inquires, responds to messages and makes decisions.  Even though the time frame can be short (two weeks or more) the experience is invaluable.  Acting executives get a fresh perspective on the organization, a better appreciation for what executives deal with and are exposed to new relationships. 

To make the most of vacation coverage assignments it is important to debrief the experience with the acting executive, and ideally gather feedback from peers who temporarily had a shift in reporting relationship (from peer to boss during the assignment).  This provides solid insights that can help an up and coming executive refine their style and be more methodical with executive career planning.

Sabbaticals – Double Whammy Executive Retention and Development Benefits
We all know that executives these days work hard, have 24/7 access to the office, and that they can burn out; this is one driver for the unprecedented executive turnover in corporations today.  One way organizations can effectively retain executives and develop successors is through strategic sabbatical programs. 

A sabbatical program essentially means that the organization offers a paid or unpaid leave to an executive from one to six months long.  During this time, the executive can pursue a life-long travel dream, organize an exchange with another company or simply rejuvenate by relaxing with friends and family.  Having an executive sabbatical program every five years can be an excellent retention strategy for top roles.

Moreover, if a high potential leader is placed into an acting executive role while the sabbatical is underway, this can serve as an excellent development opportunity for others.  Similar to the vacation coverage, a sabbatical can provide high potentials with a taste of a new role, added exposure to the business and the opportunity to be part of strategic conversations that they may not have been exposed to otherwise. 

Because the tenure of the assignment is longer than vacation coverage the learning from sabbatical coverage is typically richer.  Also, acting executive roles during sabbaticals also give organizations the opportunity to test executive potential in a low risk way.

Learn to Pass the Succession Baton
One of the most important executive development lessons is learning how to effectively prepare and transition a successor.  Although important for maintaining an executive’s legacy and organizational health, many executives do this poorly, hanging on too long to their responsibilities or not adequately developing others. 

From my experience, one of the best ways to teach executives the value of developing successors without creating the feeling that they are being pushed out of their jobs is to request that they participate in a not for profit or industry association board; as part of this process, request that they pro-actively identify and develop a successor for their board seat and report on what they learned during the process to the executive team or as part of their development plan.  If executives have to report on this development assignment to their employer it can create deeper reflection and learning and heightened accountability.

Asking executives to develop a successor for a board seat and report back on their learning provides them with an opportunity to learn important lessons about succession first hand, as opposed to having a theoretical understanding of the process. 

Through through this exposure they will quickly realize that:

• time passes quickly and you need to be proactive about developing others;
• that the succession process is dynamic and even the best laid plans go array; and
• a successful transition requires letting go, yet still providing support – a relationship dynamic and delegation style that many executives personally struggle with. 

Natalie is the founder and managing partner of The Karmichael Group. She specializes in coaching leaders who are dealing with increased complexity in their roles. www.karmichaelgroup.com.