Succession planning is an important part of any organisation’s long-term strategy. The development of the firm and future leadership team isn’t something that can be left to chance. A succession plan ensures that the right people are in the right positions and that those positions can be filled when required.
How to begin Succession Planning
Firstly, you need to identify the positions and areas that would suffer the most if a Solicitor, Head of Department or Partner was to leave. Which positions and areas would have the most impact and would affect the business goals and security of the firm?
Succession Planning – Identify the skills of jobs roles and your team
You also need to consider the core skills of the leaders and key people in your firm that you will lose if they were to leave and who has those skills or the foundations to build upon that want to develop within the firm. This means identifying and nurturing talent, creating opportunities for learning and development, and creating a culture of continuous improvement and growth. It is also important to have a sufficient timeline in place to train a person up. For example, if you know a key member of staff is going to retire soon.
It’s important to continuously identify any vulnerable positions, such as a Solicitor who has moved to Associate and is now ready to take on a Head of Department role. Is such a position available within your firm? What is the risk of them leaving and taking that role with another firm? By keeping these questions in mind you can help to minimise the impact if they were to leave. Will the skills for each role change or will your business needs change in future? By planning ahead and identifying any potential skill gaps, will ensure you are full prepared for the future. It will also minimise any potential productivity losses if someone was to leave or job roles were to change.
Succession Planning – Assess your workforce and identify any gaps
Next you need to understand your team as individuals and their aspirations. Who wants to progress and what are their long-term ambitions? Not everyone wants to be Head of Department or a Partner. So, you need to establish who wants to progress and discuss their goals during 1:1s and annual reviews.
Succession Planning – Mentoring and Coaching
Incorporating mentoring and coaching into the personal development of your employees is another great strategy. The transfer of knowledge, skills and experience is essential and benefits both parties. As an employee, it is rewarding when your employer can see your potential and invests time into developing that further.
Succession Planning – Building a network
If you don’t have the skills within your business or your employees don’t want to train and take a step up, start building a network of professionals. LinkedIn is a useful tool for this and can help you to get your brand noticed to support succession planning. Connect with professionals who have the skills and experience needed for the job roles within your succession plan. You don’t need to give a reason as to why you have connected with them. Which is useful for when you are succession planning for roles years down the line and you don’t want to talk publicly about your plans at present. Regularly post on your personal LinkedIn profile and company profile about working at the company, updates to your employee benefits, company achievements and events. Furthermore share testimonials from your employees about working at the company and apply for workplace awards. For example, Great Place To Work, Best Companies to name a few. Increasing brand awareness is so important in case you need to hire as part of your succession plan.
Regularly evaluate your Succession Plan
Evaluating your succession plan regularly will ensure that you have a strategy. However, you need to remember to be flexible and adaptable to changing needs and circumstances. Of course, you may not have someone within your team to progress into certain roles and that’s where we, as specialist recruitment consultants for the legal and finance sectors, can step in. In order to support your recruitment it’s essential for us to really get to know your firm including the values, culture and vision for the future. This will ensure we find the right people for your firm. Having placed from Partner level to Legal Secretary we have the experience and knowledge to support your succession planning and expansion. We always take the time to get to know your firm along with the skills and experience for each individual vacancy so we understand exactly what you are looking for.
Succession planning – A continuous process
Ultimately, succession planning is about more than just having someone in place who can take over a role when needed. It should be a continuous process that reflects the organisation’s values and goals. It’s also about developing a pipeline of talented individuals who are ready to step up and take on a new challenge. Also keep in touch with your recruitment partner to ensure they keep you updated with those candidates you’d want to hear about who are currently active in the market.
If you would like some direct advice on succession planning, we are here to help. Contact us here, email info@eventuslegal.com or call 01524 34400.
Written by Nikki Phillips, Senior Recruitment Consultant specialising in the legal sector
