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Succession Planning as Part of Your Association Strategy

I attended an invaluable event last night – the C-Suite Dinner Series hosted by the Chicago Health Executives Forum (CHEF). The topic was succession planning and the event’s unique setting allowed advancing (and budding) professionals an opportunity to discuss its importance, challenges and what organizations are doing (or not) to sustain growth and viability. Here were my take-aways:

No doubt, some organizations are better than others – and we need to learn from those who do it well. For example, is succession planning part of your culture? Does it begin at on-boarding? Do you recognize your top talent and consider them when looking to fill leadership roles? Are you helping them train their staff to move up when they move on? How important is it that incoming leaders have diversified experience – beyond one department or division?

External changes and resourse limitations make succession planning difficult. I sat with leaders in healthcare who all agreed their jobs will look completely different in ten years. This is reflected in other industries as well. Our success is based on flexibility, and preparing a variety of talent. Dr. Kenneth Cohen notes whatever the model selected, “it should be congruent with the stated values and culture of the organization and with the resources available to effectively manage this initiative” in his white paper, The Practice of Succession Planning. The mention of resources seemed to ring true, as our group recognized the establishment of such a plan often results in the need for additional, unanticipated, training.

The event focused on healthcare, but succession planning is critical for any industry, any association. Board members should begin their term with the understanding they have a role in identifying budding new talent and finding their replacement. I have seen board members stuck in a position because no active effort was made to develop and mentor talented people.

We have helped CHEF produce these unique dinners for three years – matching C-Level executives with advancing professions in casual, intimate dinner settings. It’s an invaluable opportunity for face-time with industry leaders. It’s also an opportunity for senior executives to share their expertise – a give-back, if you will. If you are interested in starting a similar series, feel free to contact Apex – we would love to help you create this unique opportunity for your members!