Land Records Leadership Series: Succession Planning Made Simple

How would your team respond if you won the lottery tomorrow and returned to the office for only 10 minutes to drop off your key fob and pick up your desk plant?  You might be tempted to say, “Not my problem,” but deep down, you likely want your coworkers and replacement to have a smooth transition.

Is your team ready for that type of transition?

If you didn’t answer, “Yes, no problem,” take a moment to review these insights from WLIA members who have been there.

Are You Training the Next You?

As a supervisor or manager, you are always looking to train/mentor your replacement. Looking long term you want to make sure that your organization is successful. You also want to keep good staff, and doing succession planning and career coaching/growth is the best way to accomplish this.  — Jon Schwichtenberg

Is Your Knowledge Documented?

Document what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. You need the others around you to understand what needs to be done.  — Jeremiah Erickson

What Part of Your Work is Most Critical?

Over the past 30+ years, I've been trying to document my work. It's challenging to determine which of the ongoing projects I've been involved in will be deemed essential for continuation after my departure.  — Andy Faust

Mike Koutnik shares his perspective about, well, perspective.  Long ago, he tried to get everything documented that he wasn't able to get done along the way, at least what he thought was ‘important.’

Over time, I came to see that:

1. The new person often has different ideas than I.

2. They will apply their own unique knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm in a different way than I.

3. They may be more valuable than I was.

4. The employer may have a different view of what is ‘important’ than I.

Bottom line: Talk to your supervisor early on in your transition out of the organization and find out what they want to happen before you leave. Then let it go. 

Change is Inevitable; Success is Not

In a perfect world, we’d document all our work, fully train our successors, and lose nothing in translation. The reality is, we’re busy, and we don’t know what the future holds. What you document today might be outdated tomorrow.

How Can You Prepare Without Getting Overwhelmed?

Start with the basics. Answer the following questions as if you had only 15-minutes to describe your work to your successor.

This gives you the starting outline for a succession plan. Create another 15-minute appointment on your calendar in a week or a month. Repeat this process until you’ve built a plan. Use it for training, refine it with feedback, and revisit it at least once a year.

1. What parts of your work are most important to your organization, manager, and team?

2. For this important work:

   • What do you do?

   • How do you do it?

   • Why do you do it?

By dedicating small blocks of time, you can build a path for a smooth transition for your team - lottery ticket optional.

Contributors to this article include:

• Andy Faust - Senior GIS Analyst at North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

• Jeremiah Erickson – GIS Coordinator/ Land Information Officer with the Monroe County Land Information Office

• Jon Schwichtenberg - Minneapolis Office Manager at GRAEF

• Mike Koutnik - Owner at Michael A. Koutnik Consulting

Image Credit: Succession by raendol, Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)