In addition to rotating IT and business personnel, Hannaford Brothers' Homa says he likes to place people in roles "outside their comfort zones" to help them grow professionally.
For instance, the person who had been overseeing the grocer's Windows NT operating system group wanted to develop more managerial experience. So Homa recently placed him in charge of the company's IT support centre, where he'll be managing more personnel and responding "to a lot more problems", says Homa.
Truman Medical Centres recently launched a leadership pipeline program to identify people who are ready to move into roles with greater responsibilities. In addition to handling their usual work, the 11 people who were selected have each been paired with an executive mentor and have been asked to oversee a strategic project that was hand-picked for them by the company's CEO, says CIO Bill McQuiston.
The Kansas City-based health care provider has also established leadership programs to identify "raw talent" in the organization and to help existing leaders address deficits in skills such as communication or presentation that might keep them from cracking the executive ranks, says McQuiston.
Harder Than It Looks
As essential as IT succession planning is, it's also fraught with challenges. The first concerns the demands of technology itself. For example, DTE Energy needs IT workers who have a deep understanding of a particular technology, says Ellyn. But that focus can leave someone "inadequately equipped to move horizontally or in other areas" where interpersonal, business and other soft skills are needed, she says.
Another challenge is retaining people who have been groomed to move ahead. As companies invest in training and developing IT workers, they're also making them more marketable. One of the biggest challenges that Marriott faces is low turnover at the senior management level, which can hinder emerging leaders from moving up quickly, says Hall.
CIOs also have to gain a better understanding of what makes younger IT workers tick. In the past, "when people died off or moved on, you advanced", says McQuiston. Now, he says, "people are looking for a better road map" for their careers.
SIDEBAR: Successful Succession
Gwen Walsh, a senior consultant at Ouellette & Associates Consulting, offers these succession-planning tips:
DO identify roles and responsibilities critical to attaining strategic and tactical business goals.
DON'T limit your thinking to formal leadership positions; informal leaders may be critical to your business.
DO define the critical success factors and optimal profile for each position, including knowledge, experience, certifications, competencies and skills.
DON'T limit your analysis to fit the profile of the person currently holding the position.
DO determine whether there's a logical progression path that can be defined for each target position.
DON'T neglect to share the progression paths and let each person in your organization know where he fits into the big picture.
DO assess those currently in key positions, comparing their profiles with desired profiles and noting gaps.
DON'T hesitate to grow your current leaders to optimize today's contributions and results.
DO identify those who aren't currently holding key positions but who have high potential.
DON'T overlook a diamond in the rough.
DO work with high-potential candidates to create and execute a professional development plan, then track their progress and results.
DON'T miss the opportunity to find next-generation leaders within your organization.
DO create a matrix of key positions, success factors, profiles, incumbents and heirs apparent, including strengths, challenges and anticipated timing to reach each desired profile.
DON'T keep all of the information in your head; document it.
DO note key positions where there's no heir apparent and determine your immediate, short-term and long-term strategies should that key position become vacant tomorrow.
DON'T assume that the unexpected happens only to other people.
DO be certain that you have identified your own replacement.
DON'T limit your heir apparent to those on your team. Think outside the box; think diversity.
DO make leadership succession planning a dynamic process. Leverage it as you hire new talent, plan future strategies, look for resources in emergency situations, and raise the performance bar.
DON'T create the plan as a one-time event and allow it to grow stale and outdated.
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