“If a person can’t grow with a company, they will grow away from it.”​

At the Local Government Reimagined Conference in Denver, local government leaders Kayla Barber-Perrotta and Kathryn Mortensen shared their tips on how to develop a successful succession plan at their session on succession planning. Download the PowerPoint presentation that accompanies this session, along with presentations from other conference sessions.

What is succession planning?

Succession planning is proactive strategic planning for turnover and growth. Building a solid, reliable, and engaged team is every organization’s goal, and the reality of turnover can be daunting for hiring managers. Unless they are engaged, most employees will eventually hit a ceiling. The most common reasons an employee leaves a job are:

• Bad bosses.
• Too much workload.
• No recognition.
• Relationships with coworkers.
• Broken commitments.
• No flexibility.
• Lack of advancement opportunities.

Common succession planning pitfalls to avoid

To add to the complexity of creating a steadfast group of employees, hiring managers must work within the limitations of funding constraints, lower pay scales, public distrust in government, and higher standards for local government workers. These issues make hard-to-fill positions more difficult, but common pitfalls to avoid while succession planning are:

• Not telling an employee you think he or she could be good in a particular position.
• Not being okay with employees’ career goals being outside the organization.
• Not being realistic that sometimes employees need to leave.
• Putting all your eggs in one basket.
• Treating succession planning as an add, not a lens.
• Fear of replacement.

What is the key to succession planning success?

The key to executing a succession plan effectively is to lean on the power of culture. Making your team into an “us” will always significantly curb your turnover rate. Shared purpose and values, leadership, and established practices and processes can help your team members thrive and grow. Whether its mandating professional development through training, certificates, and conferences, or structuring your team with growth pathways and procedural documentation, creating a sense of safety and belonging will always deter turnover.