The resignation always arrives at the worst time.
A strong first-line manager, a key account lead, a hospital specialist. One conversation, and a gap opens that customers will feel within weeks.
In my experience, the teams that handle this calmly are not lucky. They planned for it when nobody was leaving.
The approach I use is simple.
- Name the critical roles. Not every role, only the ones where a sudden gap would hurt customers or the plan.
- Find two names for each. One ready now, one ready with development. One name is a hope. Two names is a plan.
- Develop them in the open. Stretch projects, acting cover during leave, time with the leadership team. People grow into roles they have already tried.
- Review it twice a year, with HR. People grow, move and change their minds. The list should too.
Two things I am careful about.
- I never promise a role. Circumstances change, and a broken promise costs more than the vacancy.
- And I never leave people guessing. Honest development conversations, even when the answer is "not yet", keep good people longer than silence does.
Done well, succession is almost boring. Someone leaves, someone steps up, and the customers barely notice.
“The best time to plan a successor is when nobody is leaving.”
Lesson 11 of 17 in Step 5: Building the organisation, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.