Succession Planning - My Experience

Our motivation to have a succession plan was a governance workshop organized by one of our
development partners. The workshop addressed many governance issues and succession planning was top among them.

The consultant facilitating the succession plan session, himself a founder CEO who had exited, was brutally honest and informed all of us founder CEOs to start planning our exit. He informed us that beyond a certain time each founder stops to add value to their organisation and instead can easily bring it down.

This particular governance workshop was for non-profit organisations where the succession dynamics are different from those that are for profit. The main difference is that directors of not-for-profit organisations have no shares and therefore once a founder vacates their position they can either serve on the Board or leave to take up other tasks elsewhere. On the other hand, founders in for-profit organisations have shares in the organisations they founded and remain attached and relevant as non-executive directors.

From this explanation you can see why founders of non-profit organisations are reluctant to move on. Not remaining connected to an organisation one founded can be difficult and forfeiting one’s monthly income is even more difficult.

When I therefore starting thinking about succession, those were the two areas I needed to think through: One, what will I do with myself? I still have plenty of energy, great skills, good networks etc. And two, how do I ensure I have a regular income beyond my exit?

The truth is that there is no easy way around this. Depending on your age, experience and ability to adjust, opportunities exist and those may range from starting another organisation, looking for employment elsewhere, consultancy, farming, or teaching to mention some.

In my case, as I leave my position as founder CEO, I have enrolled to go back to school, something I have been longing to do but had not time for. As for the income bit, I have a few options that I am still exploring.

The succession planning process also requires that I prepare the incoming Executive Director. The process of coaching the incoming ED was made easier for me by the fact that the Board selected from within the organisation. The incoming ED is therefore not new and understands our Vision and Mission. I have scheduled regular Coaching sessions meant to assist him to clearly understand his role, and the expectations of the Board.

Coaching is crucial during the succession period. This gives the incoming staff an opportunity to exchange notes, gather experience and prepare to take up the role. In the coming weeks I will be talking about coaching, keep following...