“Building a strong bench” is a belief held by most leaders. A few of the leaders have worked on that, but many are still facing various challenges. We have reviewed various executive leadership teams, and when we asked about their succession plans, the answer we received shocked us. The answer is mostly a vague reference to an HR process or a name scribbled on a napkin, and we know that’s definitely not a leadership succession strategy and planning.
Leadership Succession Planning is more like a strategy, or, if we put it in the right words, it is one of the highest-leverage investments a senior executive can make for their organization. It not only helps the organization but also their own leadership legacy. If you plan this strategically, it ensures continuity and builds internal capability. It’s like giving a powerful signal to the entire organization.
This blog helps you understand what strategic succession planning actually looks like in practice. It is from insights, patterns, and approaches that we’ve seen work at the highest levels of leadership.
Why Most Organizations Get Succession Planning Wrong?
Mistake 1
The first mistake everyone makes when creating a succession plan is treating it as an event rather than a process. Most organizations make this a three-step process, like
- Step-1: Meeting
- Step-2: Filling out the form
- Step 3: Submitting it to the board
And after all these, they think the succession planning process is done. But we all know what happens after that. When an important leader departs unexpectedly, the entire system is caught flat-footed.
Mistake 2
The second mistake they make is confusing it with replacement planning. They may sound the same, but have different paths.
Replacement Planning is about,
“Who steps in if this person leaves tomorrow?” In contrast, Succession planning is about,
“What kind of leadership does this organization need to thrive over the next decade, and who are we developing to deliver that?”
Mistake 3
The third mistake is the most damaging one. It is when an organization keeps the succession conversations secret. It leaves high-potential leaders guessing and makes them uncertain about the organization. This uncertainty led to leaving the organization without even trying.
Mistake 4
The fourth mistake is overpromising a more senior position when that is not your decision to make. If you tell someone they are your successor and the organization goes in a different direction, you may leave a disaffected leader who may cause significant trouble for the new person in charge.
The Three Horizons Approach Framework
We always use a three-horizon framework when we work with senior leadership teams on leadership succession planning. This framework forces conversation to go beyond the immediate and directly into the strategic.
Horizon 1: Continuity (0–12 months)
The first horizon is like an emergency preparedness layer. An organization must have a ready-now contingency plan for every important leadership role—someone who can step in within 30 to 90 days without disrupting critical plans. If an organization doesn’t have a ready-now contingency plan, it must be carrying a significant organizational risk. The continuity horizon becomes an eye-opener for organizations.
Horizon 2: Capability Building (1–3 years)
Capability building is a horizon where real leadership development occurs. It is like a cycle in which an organization identifies emerging leaders and assigns them stretch roles with cross-functional experience. Horizon-2 provides executive mentorship that builds the capabilities your organization will need in the future.
Horizon 3: Pipeline Architecture (3–7 years)
This is where strategy meets talent. Horizon 3 asks:
- Where are we taking this organization?
- What kind of leaders will we need in five years?
- What industries, disciplines, and experiences should we be drawing from?
- What internal programs, partnerships, and development investments do we need to build that pipeline today?
Most organizations don’t create this pipeline, leading them to take a longer time to achieve sustainable growth.
What High-Performing Organizations Do Differently
Years of advising leaders on succession planning have led us to observe certain patterns. These patterns consistently distinguish the organization that gets it right from those that don’t.
- Leadership succession planning isn’t just an HR initiative; it’s a governance imperative. The board of directors reviews succession depth annually, asks hard questions, and holds leadership accountable for building the next generation.
- Data is their most important aspect in succession planning. The best succession decisions are grounded in structured assessment, 360-degree feedback, leadership simulations, performance data across contexts, and candid calibration conversations.
- High-potential leaders don’t develop in a vacuum. Structured mentoring relationships with seasoned executives accelerate growth in ways that training programs alone simply cannot. Mentorship provides perspective, a safe space to fail, and insider knowledge of how leadership really works.
- They have honest conversations with succession candidates. Letting someone know they are being considered for future leadership is not a risk. It is a retention strategy. However, being identified as a candidate does not guarantee the role. Clear communication about potential, development, and uncertainty prevents false expectations while still reinforcing the organization’s values and investment in them.
- They review and refresh regularly. A succession plan that isn’t revisited quarterly is a document, not a strategy. Organizational priorities shift. People grow. People leave. The plan must be a living tool.
Practical Steps to Start Today
You don’t need a six-month consulting engagement to begin meaningful succession planning. Here is where to start:
- Map your critical roles: identify the ten to fifteen positions that, if vacated unexpectedly, would significantly disrupt operations or strategy. These are your succession-critical roles.
- Assess your current bench: for each critical role, honestly evaluate who is ready now, who could be ready in one to two years with targeted development, and where there are dangerous gaps.
- Launch structured development plans: each high-potential leader on your succession slate should have a personalized development plan with clear milestones, stretch assignments, and a named executive mentor. If someone is recognized as ready in 1 year, have a development plan to make them “ready now” in 1 year.
- Put it on the calendar: schedule a 90-minute quarterly succession review with your senior team to assess progress, address gaps, and recalibrate. Block it now, before the year fills up.
Final Thought
Executive Springboard strategic leadership succession planning is not about preparing for failure. It is about building an organization strong enough to succeed regardless of what comes next. It is one of the most courageous and forward-thinking acts a leader can take, and one of the most neglected. The leaders we respect most are those who are genuinely invested in helping others grow. They don’t see their successors as threats. They see them as proof that their own leadership worked.
