Curators of the Future – Leaders in the Making

You’ve got a Winner

How excited are you when you see a superstar rising in your organization? That person who has a fire in their eyes virtually every morning. The one who sees how today’s new process impacts the flow of two other departments and in addition gets ahead of it before it becomes a problem. And the one who sees the positives of the day despite that things went wrong.

These individuals are indeed our future. Those who will hopefully take our organization’s mission beyond our own legacy.

Preparing for the Future

Yet, if asked to articulate your organization’s succession planning process, would say that it:

– Will be a part of next year’s strategic planning.
– Has been discussed and not yet been put into writing.
– A plan is in place for the C-Suite.
– A plan is in place for the C-Suite and the upcoming executives are prepared.  Timeframes for transition is outlined.
– Our organization evaluated all key roles within the organization. This includes our board of directors and we are prepared to move forward as each position transitions.

Your truthful answer gives clarity to the degree to which your organization’s long-term mission could be in jeopardy. When time constraints become an excuse for the lack of a detailed plan, we place our organizations in tremendous risk.

We find that, not many will debate the logic behind the necessity for C-Suite succession planning. Even if the plan has yet to be written. Yet, Greenstone Mosaic believes the ideal succession planning identifies all key positions within the organization. Operational and financial success depends on this attention now more than ever.

Full Organizational Development

Consider for a moment, if two or three front line supervisors leave your organization. Are any of the remaining team prepared and knowledgeable enough to run the floor? Is your succession plan based on the question; “Who do we have to fill the role?”. Conversely, would you be tempted to ask “Can’t the team just pick up the slack until we can find the proper candidates?”.

As an industry, senior living promotes good workers to leadership roles. Those good workers are often fabulous at the tactical parts of the job. Yet many are not prepared to tackle issues of emotional intelligence, communication, and team engagement. This doesn’t mean they aren’t a leader in the making.  We need to enhance their understanding and develop skillsets.  In other words, we need to invest in leadership development.

One day, your role in the organization will come to an end. You will will hand the baton to another who is excited to take on the opportunity that is now placed in front of them. They, however, will not be able to do it alone. Their success is reliant on the leaders that surround them and the dedication they all have to the mission of the organization.

Organizational legacy is forged through the journey of developing a strong team of leaders who are ready to lean into the challenging times ahead. It’s our responsibility to prepare them.