The press loves to talk about Succession Planning for CEO’s.  You can’t blame them.  Countless number of companies have been burned with the wrong CEO selection.  Apple’s stock fluctuates daily based on the latest rumors about the health of Steve Jobs and his succession planning.  But despite all this talk at the top, little attention seems to be paid to succession planning for the lower-levels of an organization.  The thing is:

Training your successor is one of the most important jobs of a Brand Manager

In three weeks, I’ll be moving to my new Brand Manager assignment as P&G’s Digital Brand Strategist.  So the topic of succession planning has been on my mind a lot.  It is not an easy topic though.  After all, once you have a new job/assignment lined up, your mind automatically starts thinking about the new opportunities.  It’s simple human nature.   And when you pile on the fact that new jobs often come with all the headaches of relocation, it makes it tough to put the right time, effort and thought into planning for the new guy/gal (we call it your “backfill” at P&G) who is going to be taking your place.

5 Steps for Succession Planning

But a good Brand Manager can’t use that as an excuse.  Instead, you should try these steps for Succession Planning with your backfill:

1. Build in time where you can work together:  You would think this would be a common sense one, but I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen people move to new assignments before their backfill is even decided, much less moved into the role.  In order to properly train the person who is going to be taking your job, you need to spend time together.  This can’t just be a couple of hours on the phone or even a day in person.  You need to build in several weeks where you can work side-by-side.
2. Set-up a calendar in advance of the people they need to meet: The biggest help you can give the new person is setting up meetings for them with their key business partners (both at your company and at your external partners).  It is tough to get on someone’s calendar.  It is even tougher when you are new and don’t even know whose calendar you should be getting on.  Help your backfill out by starting to plan for them a couple weeks in advance.  Send out invitations to all their key counterparts and arrange 30 to 60 minutes with those people during their first 2 weeks on the job.
3. Build in time for fun:  Moving into a new role is tough…but joining a new team is even tougher.  When we get comfortable with a team, we start taking for granted that we have people to head to lunch with or grab a beer after work with.  Your backfill does not know the social circles of the workplace so its your job to make it easy for them.  Set-up a welcome lunch for them the first day they are in the office.  Hell, set-up lunches for them the first week they are there.  You can even combine it with point #2 above so they get to know the people they are working with.  You should also set-up a Happy Hour for their first week.  I for one have always found it easier to get to know your co-workers over a few beers instead of around a conference room table.
4. Find ways to ease them into the job: Training your backfill should not just start the first day they arrive in the office.  If it does, you will already be starting from behind.  Instead, you should try to ease them into the job.  Start to copy them on important e-mails.  Send them documents that would be good to read in advance (especially those really lengthy ones).  But be respectful.  Chances are they are finishing up their current job (and probably training their own backfill) so don’t overload them.  Just think about the stuff you would have liked to have known before you started the job.
5. Don’t make them feel like a replacement:  When training your backfill, it is easy to use phrases like “this is what I think” or “this is how I would do it.”  And it is just as easy to introduce the person “as the new me.”  That is the wrong way to do it.  You can’t make the person feel like they are merely filling your shoes.  They are the one in the job now, not you.  Let them feel like their own person.  And make sure your co-workers do the same.  Once your backfill is on the job and you are transitioning, don’t let people come to you for answers.   If you do, the person is never going to feel like the job is really theirs until you leave.  Empower them to shape the job in their vision.  This doesn’t mean you just turn over the job and refuse to answer questions.   But let them decide what type of questions they need your help on.

Setting up the right plan for training your backfill is no easy thing to do.  But it is something that every Brand Manager needs to do in order to help the business run as smoothly as possible.

Have you noticed the badge on this site for Brazen Careerist?  Have you even heard of the site before?  If not, you need to check it out.  In their words:

A Brazen Careerist knows that defining your own career, finding the right field, and pursuing it are key ingredients to a fulfilling life. Like the tag line suggests, when you define your career on your own terms first, you control your life.  We’re an online career center aimed at Generation Y — young professionals who want to design and define their careers using the new rules for success.

The site’s co-founder Ryan Paugh (of Employee Evolution) invited me to join and I’m happy to be part of their community.  I have found it to be a great site…not only to promote Hard Knox Life but also to network with fellow Gen Y Young Professionals.  Networking is key to success in business….plenty of books have been written telling you that.  But the Internet (and sites like BC or LinkedIn) make it easier then ever to form a great network.  You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a MBA…you don’t need to travel to every industry conference there is.  Just start networking through your blog and you will meet great people that share your same passion.

So check out my profile on Brazen Careerist and enjoy the site.  You won’t be disappointed.

Catching up on my RSS reading after the weekend in Chicago and I came across a pretty interesting posting that Seth Godin made about resumes.  In typical Godin fashion, he makes the thought-provoking statement “you probably shouldn’t have a resume at all.”  Of course, what Seth was really stating is that if you are “remarkable, amazing, or just plain spectacular” you shouldn’t need a resume.  In other words, if you have the skills, your actions and reputation are going to speak louder than any words you can put on paper.

 Frankly I think Godin is dead on with this one and it applies to professionals at all levels of their career.  When you are a newly minted college grad, your resume isnt going to say much.  Sure it will show your school and the activities you were involved with but any job application is probably going to show those as well.  A resume will not show the skills that are most important for new graduates, especially those skills that will help a recent grad excel in the new world of marketing.  It won’t show your passion, it wont show your ability to connect dots, and it probably wont show your power of agility in a constantly changing world.  Likewise is you are a professional with 5, 10 or 15 years experience, your reputation is hopefully more powerful than your resume.  If you are a rock-star, then there should be plenty of people out there willing to vouch for you and your abilities.  And your reputation has likely been cemented because of the public face your put forward on your blog or other forum.  After all, great talent doesnt stay in the box that is outlined for them.

Controversial thinking for sure but the man has a point.