Don’t let bad succession planning threaten your leadership continuity.
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Succession Planning That Builds the Leaders You Actually Need
By Abhinandan Sood | September 3, 2025
Succession planning only works when it’s built for agility
Succession planning is hard work — as evidenced by the 72% of HR leaders who say they struggle with closing successor capability gaps. And as succession planning falls short, businesses are often left with leaders and managers who lack the agility and vision to support the business as it grows.
HR business partners (HRBPs) understand the importance of succession all too well, but with frequent challenges disrupting their work, leadership succession initiatives often take a back seat. In fact, according to Gartner, only 38% of CHROs are confident they can deliver on succession management goals in the next year. With targeted insights into leadership roles and cross-functional collaboration efforts, talent management and succession planning become effective, agile and essential.
5 best practices to strengthen succession planning
Focus on five practical strategies that elevate succession planning to a true driver of organizational continuity, resilience and growth.
No. 1: Pinpoint enterprise and business criticality over position hierarchy
According to Gartner, 61% of HR leaders say succession plans are often too senior-level focused and this hierarchical approach doesn’t leave room for the nuances of the business. A more effective method would be to shift toward identifying roles that are both business-critical and hard to fill — not just the roles in charge. Challenge these hierarchical approaches head-on and work with leaders to figure out which roles take precedence in the succession-planning process.
No. 2: Co-create a future-ready leadership capability blueprint
Finding leaders who are aligned with your organization’s plans for the future is one of the most difficult tasks when it comes to succession planning. Only 35% of organizations select successors aligned with future needs, so ensure your organization is getting ahead of this.
By partnering with business leaders to anticipate future strategic priorities, you can clearly define the specific skills leaders will need, so that succession plans are built around future-ready capabilities rather than just current requirements. This ensures your leadership pipeline is prepared for tomorrow’s challenges.
No. 3: Break down silos to broaden successor pools
Overly specific successor criteria and relying on a shortlist of successors make your plans obsolete if those individuals leave (i.e., the smaller the talent pool, the greater the risk to succession planning).
To avoid this, collaborate across business units to identify and develop broader, organizationwide talent pools for critical and recurring roles — like cross-functional VPs. This approach ensures a ready bench of high-potential successors, increases organizational agility and strengthens leadership continuity.
No. 4: Foster business leader accountability for successor development
Succession planning isn’t a job for HR alone. It requires active participation from business leaders as well. Yet 40% of HR leaders say they struggle to get leaders to commit to postplanning development follow-through. To break this cycle, make sure your business partners stay accountable by outlining follow-up development steps. Every stakeholder involved should have a clearly defined role in the process, so be sure to set clear guidelines and expectations. And don’t be afraid to give feedback; consistently engage business leaders with regular meetings and touchpoints.
No. 5: Build successor readiness through focused career conversations
Succession conversations should happen throughout succession planning. Openly discuss future roles with employees to ensure that potential successors know what to expect. It’s critical to prepare leaders to have these proactive career conversations with their employees where they balance organizational needs with career aspirations. This fosters higher retention and employee development, and also speeds the succession-planning process when you have employees already interested in the role and open to internal promotions.
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Succession planning FAQs
What is succession planning, and why is it important?
Succession planning is the process of identifying and developing internal talent to fill key leadership roles within an organization. It ensures business continuity, reduces the risk of leadership gaps and prepares the organization for future growth. Effective succession planning enhances employee engagement by providing clear career paths and helps maintain organizational stability during transitions.
What are the benefits of succession planning?
Succession planning offers numerous benefits, including ensuring organizational continuity by preparing for leadership transitions and reducing the risk of talent gaps. It boosts employee morale and retention by providing clear career paths and development opportunities. Succession planning also enhances organizational stability, supports strategic goals and fosters a culture of growth and preparedness. Ultimately, it leads to a more resilient and adaptable organization, ready to face future challenges.
What steps are involved in the succession-planning process?
Start early and plan before leadership changes are anticipated.
Involve leadership to identify and develop successors.
Focus on employee development via training, mentoring and job rotations for potential successors.
Conduct regular reviews to continuously assess and update the succession plan.
Make communication transparent to keep all stakeholders informed about the plan and progress.
Diversify talent pools to secure candidates for leadership roles.
What challenges can occur in succession planning?
Many organizations struggle with succession planning because they often rely on narrow criteria for identifying successors, focus too much on current job requirements and don’t provide enough meaningful development for future leaders. When leaders aren’t fully committed to following through on development plans — and with high turnover rates threatening stability — succession strategies can quickly become outdated, putting leadership continuity at risk.
How do you spot high-potential employees for succession?
To effectively spot high-potential employees for leadership succession, organizations should look beyond immediate teams, adopt a “ready enough” standard for candidate selection and prioritize regular career conversations to align aspirations with business needs. Transparent identification processes, targeted development assignments and frequent reviews help ensure succession plans remain dynamic and responsive to evolving organizational priorities.
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