Sustainability and Succession Planning

The loss of valuable leadership can cripple an organization. Business succession planning is essentially preparing successors to take on vital leadership roles when the need arises. It is essential to the long-term survival of an organization. Every organization should have a form of succession planning in its portfolio. It is not the expected absences that can cripple an entity, but the unexpected ones.

Whether it is preparing someone to take over a position of leadership in a corporation, or the sole proprietor of a small business, there is a difference between succession planning and mere replacement planning. How Esquimalt Nation prepares staff to take on the responsibilities of leadership, is just as important as picking the right person for the job.

The Esquimalt Nation has participated in a "Succession Through Mentorship" program involving 15 participants over 6 sessions. This highly interactive course has been developed by ICLD to provide personal and professional development to staff and managers. The course is tailored to meet the needs of the Esquimalt Nation in terms of delivery methods, class configuration and timing. This highly interactive course was developed to provide personal and professional development to staff and managers.

The key objectives of this workshop are:

• Define business succession planning and its role in the organization.
• Lay the groundwork to develop a succession plan.
• The importance of mentorship.
• Define and use a SWOT analysis to set goals.
• Create a plan, assign roles, and execute the plan.
• Communicate to develop support and manage change.
• Anticipate obstacles and evaluate and adapt goals and plans.