Creative Reaction

Marshall Goldsmith offers some excellent advice over at Harvard Business Publishing, and while the post focuses on CEO transitions both good and bad, the broader message is one of successful transitions at every level within a business.

Small businesses may write this off as a concern only for large corporations, which would be a mistake. The continuation of vision is an important issue for businesses of all sizes.

Quoting Marshall, “You have a vision for the company. After putting in years to make this vision a reality, you find it important that your vision continue after you leave. By developing an internal successor, you can be assured your vision will be carried out after you depart.”

I would argue that succession planning is most important for a business in which success is largely dependent upon its culture or in which all the employees are working for a goal greater than themselves. If your company meets one or both of theses criteria, you certainly have something worth preserving!