Know Who’s Ready for More

Most leaders hit a point where they realize they can’t do it all themselves.

The smartest leaders I've known all arrive at the same conclusion. You can't do it alone, and you shouldn't try.

The real leverage is in your people.

When you assign someone to run point on an initiative, even one that stretches them a little beyond their day-to-day responsibilities, two things happen at once. The team gets more done, and that person grows as a leader.

Over time, you're not just getting results. You're building the next group of leaders.

Succession planning actually starts when you start paying attention to who's stepping up, who's ready for more, and who needs a little support to get there. But you need more than just observation, you need a clearer way to see it.

By leading the process well, you will end up with stronger results, deeper bench strength, and a much better shot at keeping your best people around.

The two tools below give you a practical way to do exactly that.

The Succession Planning Review

This is where you start. The review gives each team member a chance to document their own accomplishments, experience, strengths, development areas, and the roles they're interested in pursuing.

That last part matters more than most leaders expect. You find out quickly who's hungry for more and who's exactly where they want to be. Both answers are useful because it helps to inform your coaching conversations for future growth.

What you end up with is a consistent, documented picture of each person, grounded in what they've actually done rather than having to rely solely on your best recollection of overall performance.

Once you have that documented, the next step is stepping back and seeing the full picture.

The 4-Block Performance and Potential Grid

Once the succession planning reviews are done, this is where you step back and look at the whole team on a single page.

The grid maps each person by how they're performing today and their opportunity for future growth. When you see everyone side by side, patterns show up: Who's clearly ready for more. Which team members have real depth. Where you might be leaning a little too hard on one or two people. The grid makes it all visible in a way you can actually do something with.

Both tools, in all formats, live on the same page.

Succession Planning Templates →

The right sequence is reviews first, grid second. The page walks you through both.

This is where leadership starts to shift a bit. From producing results through your own effort to building the people on your team who will produce those results with you.

As always, the goal is providing tools that provide practical application and better results for you and your team.

Richard

P.S. Start with the person you'd miss the most if they left tomorrow. That's your first review.