Tell your successor now, not later. Outline their strengths, gaps, and a timeline for growth. People stay when they see a clear path forward and know you're investing in them.
Tip number 3 is one of the most underutilized processes, I'll call it, that you could be taking advantage of, and that is start having the conversation with the successor now. Those— don't put them on a list, actually have a conversation with them, making them aware that they have been identified as your successor or someone else's successor and what the next steps are. What that development plan looks like, what the timeline is, where others have already observed their strengths, but also areas of development gaps that they have, blind spots that they have, and therefore things that need to be worked on. And once you start having that type of conversation with your team members, let alone a successor, then they become sticky, meaning They are retained a lot longer and more effectively than any other strategy that you can come up with. If people know that there's a path for them, that there's a plan for them, that there's people paying attention for them, that they have these stretch assignments and the sponsorships and the coaching and the mentoring and the skilled training that will take them to the next level, then they're going to become a loyal retained individual for your company.
From Stuck to Leading, Episode 2 — Meet the 5 Inner Fears Destroying Your Leadership
