CHAPTER 13
Perfect Phrases to Enlist Organizational Support for Leader Development and Succession Planning

A Dynamic Leader enlists organizational support for leader development and succession planning so organizations stay competitive and continue to flourish even after he or she is gone. This chapter takes the leadership development process beyond individual guidance and into creating a culture where succession planning is a given and leaders at all levels are valued and cultivated.

There are plenty of compelling reasons why it is in an organization’s interest to take leadership development seriously. These phrases help us communicate those benefits.

Perfect Phrases to Tie Leadership Development into Succession Planning

Succession planning is an important motivation for Dynamic Leader development programs. While it’s important not to promise a future we can’t guarantee, preparing an emerging leader to replace someone should that person retire or leave creates a focus for the leader development process.

How do you think we should plan for succession in the area of___________________________ ? Be specific.

What positions do you see as particularly sensitive should we lose___________________________ (a leader)?

We want to develop your expertise in the area of___________________________ to ensure continuity if an existing leader needs a replacement.

If you can think like the CEO of your area of influence, it will help you think like the CEO of the larger organization.

Let’s imagine you were a candidate to replace the leadership position in your area. Let’s go through the qualities, experience, and skills you would need to fill those shoes. Then, let’s create a plan for you to develop those traits.

We’re focusing on the skills you can use where you are now, but also on the skills you would need to qualify to step up should we need to fill a leadership position in ___________________________ area.

I don’t know if you have CEO (other senior leadership title) in your future, but if it’s a possibility, I’d like to do what we can to build the knowledge and experiences you would need.

Let’s imagine you were going to replace the leadership team in your area. What qualities, experience, and skills would your replacement need to fill your shoes? Then, let’s create a plan for you to develop your replacement.

Perfect Phrases to Encourage Others to Develop New Leaders at All Levels

These phrases encourage emerging leaders to develop other leaders and prepare for the possibility of their own departures.

I think of you as a truly Dynamic Leader. Are you teaching others what you know and how to do what you do?

If we’re going to leave any kind of legacy, it is important for you to develop leaders at all levels.

Should something happen that would cause you to leave, who do you think is responsible for preparing a replacement for you?

Unless you already have a succession plan for yourself, I believe you need to start one now.

If you left suddenly, would there be a leadership vacuum?

What have you done to make sure you have someone ready to replace you when it’s time for you to move on?

If you don’t have a plan to have someone ready to replace you should there be a need, what can you do starting now to do get someone prepared?

I’ve learned so much from you. I’d like to see you share what you know with others.

I think others could benefit from learning about how you developed your leadership style.

I read about CEOs who invite senior leaders—one at time—to spend weekends with them. Everyone learns a lot from the conversations. Could you imagine doing that?

Our newer leaders could really benefit from having conversations that challenge and encourage them as they develop. I suggest you meet one-on-one with a couple of emerging leaders.

If you left suddenly, is there anyone who could carry on your legacy? Are you preparing someone?

You don’t seem interested in succession. Have we done something to lose your loyalty?

Perfect Phrases to Generate Support for Dynamic Leader Development by Sharing Your Own Experience with Other Leaders

These phrases share personal experiences of the value of leader development. They can be used to inspire others to champion leader development and succession planning.

I can go on vacation for two weeks without anyone calling me because of the leader development work we’ve done.

At first I wasn’t sure I had the time to help others develop their leadership qualities. I discovered I’m getting as much out of it as they are.

Developing leaders has dynamized my experience here. It’s crystallized my own understanding of what it takes to lead successfully, and it has added meaning to everything I’ve been doing over the years.

I need to tell you what incredible resources my emerging leaders have become for me.

My emerging leader took what I taught her and threw it back at me when I was ready to make an ill-advised decision. What an asset that was!

Every time I meet with my emerging leader, the possibilities unfold.

I had no idea what a difference it would make for me to have people who have developed as leaders. I don’t have to do everything myself anymore.

I just got back from a meeting with a group of leaders I’ve developed. They’re brilliant, and it was exhilarating.

Perfect Phrases to Get Your Organization Focused on Clearing Barriers to Leader Development

Your individual efforts at succession planning may run into bureaucratic obstacles within your organization. These phrases encourage the removal of these hierarchal limitations.

Our emerging leaders are limited by the ways we guard information. We need to increase access to information by ___________________________.

We missed an opportunity to___________________________ because of the information hierarchy. By the time questions got passed up the ladder and answers were passed down, we lost an opportunity. To keep this from happening I recommend we.

We need our intranet to be a genuine source of empowerment and information so our lower level leaders can lead without having to run everything by us.

If we think we’re in control of this organization, we’re not listening. Let’s not kid ourselves into thinking we can control everything that happens at every level. Let’s give the people who are on the front lines the tools they need to be able to lead from where they are.

If our managers can’t lead in situations like___________________________ and call audibles, we’re cutting them off at the knees. We need to take the shackles off of them and empower them to act.

Perfect Phrases to Get Your Organization Focused on Succession Planning and Development

Leader development can take the form of planned and structured job rotations, relationships with mentors and coaches, and exposure to new challenges, as well as formal education and development. These phrases launch conversations about development.

We need to think about how we are preparing today’s frontline employees to lead in the future.

Online performance support and peer-to-peer networking and resource sharing is replacing corporate universities, and we need to get with it.

We have a lot of boomers in leadership positions, and I’m worried about what will happen when they retire.

If we treat our employees like disposable resources, they won’t have the loyalty to care about succession planning. Investing in leadership development is an investment in loyalty and our future.

When I think about how___________________________ (company) declined since___________________________ left, I worry about our own succession planning.

Everyone thought___________________________ was a great leader, but when he/she left, the company declined. That makes me think he/she wasn’t that great a leader after all.

The best companies are deliberate about building a leadership culture. I think we can be one of the best.

What would happen if we extended our succession planning to all levels of the organization, not just the senior ones?

I question whether we have the leadership bench strength we’ll need for the next five to ten years. Even companies that have historically been well-known for creating leaders are reevaluating their approaches and experimenting with new ideas.

Are we helping our evolving leaders develop a greater awareness of other worldviews?

Do we have the talent we need to move into new markets now? What about three to five years from now? I’m not sure we do.

Successful leaders leave functioning organizations behind them.

What is our leadership brand? Do we have one?

We need people in place who know how to connect and communicate, rather than command.

We need to develop leaders who generate commitment, not compliance.

We could count on individual leaders to initiate mentoring and coaching, or we could organize a more formal program.

I want to organize a meeting to kick off a leadership development initiative.

I’m picturing us working together to create a sustainable community of people who can probe and challenge our emergent leaders’ assumptions and practices and provide support along the way.

Having a reputation for developing leaders would attract the best talent from business schools, colleges, and other companies.