Beyond the Successor: Why Your Succession Plan Might Be Missing the Mark

Let’s be honest: succession planning is hard. Not just logistically, but emotionally, strategically, and relationally. It challenges leaders to think long-term, invest in people development, and face their own professional legacy. No wonder so many leaders put it off or rush through it.

Here’s what I’ve seen across decades of coaching senior leaders: when you get succession planning wrong, you don’t just leave a role unfilled. You risk stalling your organization’s momentum, fracturing team trust, and creating culture gaps that can take years to repair.

When you get it right? You build a resilient, future-ready organization that thrives beyond any one person’s leadership.

The Pressure to “Name Someone”

Too often, succession planning becomes a check-the-box exercise. I’ve worked with leaders who feel pressure from their boards or executive peers to identify a successor quickly. They zero in on the person who’s most visible, most vocal, or perhaps most like themselves. That’s not a strategy. It’s a shortcut.

The reality is, succession planning is not about cloning yourself. It’s about building capacity for what’s next. Something that takes time, reflection, and alignment across stakeholders.

The 9-Box Grid: Powerful but Underused

Many organizations lean on the 9-box grid to map talent by performance and potential. It’s a solid tool. The catch is: the value isn’t in filling out the grid. It’s in the conversations that follow.

Too many leadership teams complete the 9-box, congratulate themselves on a good talent review, and never return to it until the next cycle. That’s not succession planning. That’s documentation.

To make it meaningful, leaders must ask:

• What experiences do high-potential employees need to be ready for?

• What coaching, feedback, and exposure will accelerate their growth?

• What internal and external challenges will prepare them for complexity?

Without these next steps, the 9-box is just a snapshot, when it needs to be a roadmap.

What Can Go Wrong in Succession Planning

When succession planning is rushed or reactive, several risks emerge:

• Single-point dependency: Betting on one successor leaves you vulnerable if they leave or burn out.

• Culture disruption: A poorly prepared successor can erode trust and morale.

• Equity gaps: Overlooking diverse or quieter talent creates blind spots and stalls DEI progress.

• Strategic drift: A successor who doesn’t understand the vision can steer the organization off course.

These are costly mistakes, but they’re preventable.

What Success Looks Like in a Succession Plan

Real succession planning is a leadership development process. It’s identifying not just who could step up, but what they need to succeed. It’s about creating multiple, diverse options and not just filling a box.

Success looks like:

• Multiple ready-now and ready-soon candidates with clear development paths.

• Leaders who are coaching successors, not just evaluating them.

• Cross-functional exposure and stretch roles that build capability and confidence.

• A culture of feedback and transparency, where people know where they stand.

At KKM Leadership, we integrate succession planning into everything we do, from Individual Growth Plans to executive coaching. Preparing for the future doesn’t mean predicting it. It means equipping your people to meet it.

Take the Time. It’s Worth It.

If you’re feeling the pressure to rush succession planning, pause. Breathe. Reflect.

Ask yourself: Are you choosing the fastest path, or the most sustainable one?

The best leaders I know don’t rush this process. They invest in it. They stay curious. They engage their teams. And they recognize that the strongest legacy isn’t what they built, but who they built to carry it forward.

Succession planning is hard. But it’s also one of the most powerful gifts you can give your organization.

Take the time.

It’s worth it.