Talent reviews and succession
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6 min read
Key findings
A succession plan needs at least two named successors for each critical role.
Ready now means the person could take the role within 90 days, on evidence.
Four dimensions are scored separately: capability, credibility, team and client readiness, growth in time.
Tested against evidence, most ready-now lists shrink and a hidden name often appears.
Readiness bands need definitions, or every name drifts towards ready now.
A succession plan names at least two successors for each critical role, states how ready each one is, and records the gap and the development action that will close it.
This free template adds a check most succession plans lack: it compares the stated readiness with the evidence on four dimensions.
Each name is flagged as aligned, inflated or hidden, and a coverage sheet shows which roles have no one ready.
Download the Succession Plan template (Excel). It is free, needs no sign-up, and opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
What The Template Contains
The workbook has four sheets.
Plan. One row per successor, with readiness, four evidence scores, the readiness check, the gap, the action and the sponsor
Coverage. Each critical role with its number of successors and whether anyone is genuinely ready now
Readiness. Definitions of the three readiness bands and the four dimensions
How To Use. The six steps below
Five example rows show the standard, including one inflated name and one hidden name.
Readiness Bands
Readiness bands need definitions, or every name drifts towards ready now.
Ready now. Could take the role within 90 days, on the evidence of work already done
One to two years. Has named gaps and a development action for each
Emergency cover. Could hold the role for three months without being the long-term answer
Emergency cover is a separate band, because the person who can keep the plant running for a quarter is often not the right permanent successor.
The Four Readiness Dimensions
A single readiness rating hides the reason a successor is or is not ready.
The template scores four dimensions separately, from 1 to 3, each with an example behind it.
Capability. Has done the hardest part of the target role, or work close to it
Credibility. The people they would lead, and the key clients, would accept them
Team and client readiness. No key relationship depends on the incumbent alone
Growth in time. Their development will close the remaining gap within the window
Ready now requires a 3 on all four.
A single name fails the first time that person leaves, declines the move or is needed elsewhere.
Aligned, Inflated And Hidden
The readiness check column compares what the plan states with what the scores show.
Aligned. The stated readiness matches the evidence
Inflated. Stated ready now, but at least one dimension scores below 3
Hidden. Not stated ready now, but all four dimensions score 3
Tested this way, most ready-now lists shrink.
A strong person nobody had put forward also tends to appear, often because they sit in another team or report to a manager who keeps them.
Both flags go to the talent review with the evidence on the table, and the review decides.
Two Successors Per Role
Two named successors per critical role is a workable minimum below the executive team.
One should be ready now or within a year, and one should be further back and developing.
A single name fails the first time that person leaves, declines the move or is needed elsewhere.
The coverage sheet flags any role with fewer than two successors, and any role where no successor is both stated and evidenced as ready now.
The Plan In Six Steps
List the critical roles first, using the free critical role assessment template
Write what each role must deliver over the next 18 to 24 months, before any name is discussed
Name at least two successors per role, one ready now or within a year and one further back
Score each successor on the four dimensions, with an example behind every score
Resolve every inflated or hidden flag in the talent review
Record the one gap that sets each readiness window, the assignment that closes it and the sponsor
A Worked Example
A marine underwriting team names Successor A as ready now for its senior underwriter.
Successor A scores 3 on capability, credibility and growth, but 2 on team and client readiness, because the main brokers deal only with the incumbent.
The plan flags the name as inflated, and the gap that sets the window is the broker relationships.
The development action is for Successor A to lead three broker renewals with the incumbent present, sponsored by the Chief Underwriting Officer.
In the same plan, an engineer in another team scores 3 on all four dimensions for the principal engineer role and is flagged as hidden.
Common Failures
The best performer in the current job is assumed to be the best successor
Every name is rated ready now, because the bands were never defined
The plan lists names but no gap, action or sponsor
Specialist roles are covered by the strongest generalist nearby
Adrian Furnham, Ian MacRae and Martin Reed call the first of these the performance delusion.
The best performer in one job is assumed to be the best candidate for a different one.
For a step into a larger or different role, the four dimensions test what past performance cannot show.
David Weiss, Vince Molinaro and Liane Davey treat succession management as risk reduction, which is why the coverage sheet counts gaps rather than names.
Related Succession Work
How to agree the critical roles with the business is set out in succession planning for critical roles.
Successor gaps can be recorded as risks in the free talent risk register template.
Where The Tools Sit
Trusted Talent Advisor covers this test in its Succession Reality lens, which compares the stated plan with the evidence and classifies every name.
Sources
1. Furnham, A., MacRae, I. and Reed, M. High Potential: How to Spot, Manage and Develop Talented People at Work. Bloomsbury.
2. Weiss, D. S., Molinaro, V. and Davey, L. Leadership Solutions: The Pathway to Bridge the Leadership Gap. John Wiley and Sons Canada.
From the system
Trusted Talent Advisor sets out the full method: seven components, 51 tools, The Talent Template Pack and The Prompt Library.
See the system
Questions this answers
What should a succession plan template include?
Each critical role, at least two named successors, a defined readiness band, evidence scores for readiness, the gap that sets the window, a development action and a sponsor.
What does ready now mean in succession planning?
The successor could take the role within 90 days with normal support, on the evidence of work already done. Potential and tenure do not count as evidence.
How many successors should each critical role have?
At least two: one ready now or within a year, and one further back and developing. A single name fails the first time that person leaves or declines.
How do you assess succession readiness?
Score capability, credibility with the people they would lead, team and client readiness, and whether growth will close the gap in time, each with an example.
What is the difference between a succession plan and a replacement chart?
A replacement chart lists names. A succession plan states readiness on evidence, the gap for each successor, and the action and sponsor that close it.
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