Succession Planning is about managing the future of your organization, to ensure that the talent and potential is available and prepared to assume leadership roles. A generation ago, this was not a hot issue. Today, and for the foreseeable future it is a “front-burner” issue for every organization. Why? – you may ask. Numerous factors have brought the talent and leadership issue to where it is today, but the singular factor that is most readily apparent, and already impacting many businesses and industries, is the “Baby Boomer” Phenomenon. A stark reality; all these folks born in the late 40’s and early 50’s are reaching the age where they can now exercise the retirement option, and many are opting to do just that. Compounding this very significant reality, is the fact that, based on recent and valid studies, for every two “Boomers” who leave, or intend to leave, only one qualified individual is joining the organization. The talent pool is shrinking. One can quickly deduce that competition for top performers with exceptional potential will become increasingly intense. Here is the conundrum: how do you retain your top performers and prepare them for succession to more senior posts, while concurrently attracting other top performers from outside, to ensure you have a sufficient complement of leadership talent to take your organization into the future?

These is where Marathon Human Resources Consulting Group Ltd. can step into the proverbial breach and provide the expertise and support you need to effectively address the complex issues related to Succession Planning. In the critical area of Succession Planning, our hands-on experience and expertise will assist you, in developing a strategic Succession Plan that is clearly aligned with your broader strategic plan that will chart the path for your organization’s future. With you, we will identify and clarify the leadership competencies needed to achieve the vision that you have for your organization’s future, to ensure that your future leaders lead in a manner that is appropriately skilled, and consistent with your organizational values and culture. We will assist you in identifying your star performers and measure their potential for accession to more senior leadership positions in the future; we will measure actual leadership ability, or potential, by evaluating criteria that goes well beyond hands-on “technical skills”, which are frequently given inordinate weight in promotion decisions.

Once we have identified the high potential individuals, we will then assist you in preparing a tailored leadership development program, based on the identified core competencies. More importantly we will work with you and the identified “star performers” to prepare individual development programs that will ensure they are prepared for promotion when the opportunity arrives. This includes a one-on-one coaching and feedback process to build on strengths and to address leadership competencies that require further development. With each individual, we will prepare a comprehensive development program, with specific goals, timelines, feedback and action plans, to provide them, and you, with a roadmap for development, aligned with organization goals and strategic plan. We will tailor these programs to effectively address both your needs as a senior leader, in preparing for the future, and the selected individuals’ needs that align with your organization’s strategic goals. Working closely with you, the senior leader(s), we prepare leader development programs that are open-ended so that your current and future leaders continue to develop their leadership styles and skills; in effect, creating a learning culture.