One of the best-planned clients I have ever worked with starts succession planning two years before someone retires or makes a planned exit.
It is a small financial-services office. Over the years, I have placed almost everyone in the organisation.
There is very little staff turnover. I suspect some of my recruitment peers would see limited commercial opportunity in that. There isn’t a constant stream of vacancies, and developing someone into a senior position can mean there is no bigger executive-search fee further down the line.
I wear that as a badge of honour.
If I am doing my job properly, the people I place should have good reasons to stay. As a recruitment partner, my job is to help the client flourish. A successful appointment should benefit the individual, the team and the business for years.
The job description only tells part of the story
In a small office, people contribute far more than their formal responsibilities suggest.
They hold institutional knowledge, manage important relationships, cover for colleagues and quietly keep things moving when workloads change.
Replacing their technical skills is one task. Understanding everything else they bring takes more thought.
That is why this client starts early.
Competence is essential. Team fit makes the difference.
The person must have the technical ability and judgement to do the job.
Once that foundation is established, cultural and team fit can become the deciding factors.
Can they work closely with the existing team? Are they comfortable being hands-on? Will they help outside their immediate remit and wear several hats when necessary?
That does not mean everyone should think alike. Different perspectives strengthen a team when people can challenge each other constructively and still work well together.
Two years gives the successor time to learn properly
A planned transition can allow someone to be mentored through at least two year-end cycles and three or four half-year cycles.
They experience the busy periods, reporting demands, difficult decisions and practical realities of the business with an experienced colleague beside them.
They also have two years of formal and informal feedback from leaders and peers: time to build confidence, address gaps and understand what good performance looks like in that organisation.
The assessment works both ways.
The business gets to understand the person’s capabilities and potential. The individual gets to decide whether this is somewhere they want to commit to a long-term career.
That is a much stronger foundation than either side trying to make the entire judgement during a few interviews.
The business can plan for what comes next
Early succession planning also creates room to consider changing regulations, Central Bank of Ireland requirements and technology, including AI.
Those changes cannot all be predicted. But the business has time to review responsibilities, develop its people and adjust the skills it will need.
It can ask whether the successor should inherit the existing role or help shape a different one.
Trust is earned over time
Having recruited almost everyone in an organisation gives you valuable insight into how the team works. It also brings a responsibility to keep listening.
People develop. Priorities change. Each appointment deserves fresh thought.
For me, the value of a long-term recruitment relationship is being able to discuss those changes openly, challenge a brief when necessary and recognise who will thrive in that particular environment.
Good succession planning gives the person leaving a thoughtful handover, the successor a fair opportunity to develop and the wider team confidence in what comes next.
You should be planning succession across your leadership team and specialist talent, including the people whose knowledge would be hardest to replace.
If you would like to speak with someone experienced in this area, drop me a line at hugh@dolmenrecruitment.ie.