Coaching for Succession Planning

Coaching for Succession Planning – The Holistic Approach

Naomi S. Gooden | 2019

Abstract

Business continuity in organizations is crucial in today’s environment. Organizations must be able to continuously provide products and services to consumers despite events that may impact the organization. Leaders should ensure the right talent is in place to perform as people transition in their roles. To develop talent, organizations should promote a culture which embraces coaching. To begin a holistic approach to coaching, organizational leaders should understand what coaching is and what is the importance of developing succession plans to keep operations seamless in the midst of internal and external environmental shifts. Succession planning plays a critical role in any organization’s success. As organizations move toward developing their succession plans, they should examine the knowledge, skills, and abilities of individuals that are ready to move forward in the near or distant future. One of the main objectives of succession planning is to maintain business continuity during changes in organizational leadership. Coaching new leaders to become successors is a continuous journey which allows new leaders to be trained and developed to think critically and build strategies for their next steps as future leaders. On this journey, strategic foresight can be used to generate awareness of the external environment and how it affects the organization’s operations and leadership. Innovation and creativity is another step in leadership development, which allows leaders to engage new roles with confidence, autonomy, and innovations that aligns with the organization’s mission and vision. Leaders who desire to coach should be willing and ready to build a relationship with future leaders to help them unlock their hidden talents and move forward.