In these uncertain times, maximizing talent and contributions is an important practice for all school district employees and is particularly crucial for key leaders. Succession planning is not just about filling open boxes on an org chart, but rather about proactive leadership development to build the “bench strength” of an organization. To help school districts cultivate emerging and existing leaders, DMC has introduced an eight-step process that takes school districts from design through implementation of systemic succession planning. Be sure to register for our 3-part webinar series on succession planning beginning May 26^th.

DMC recommends that school districts set the stage by identifying the leadership characteristics that align with the district’s strategic objectives. Setting clear standards will make assessing current leadership patterns easier. For instance, how important are project management skills or team-building skills? How do you evaluate these characteristics and provide feedback?

Growing the right kind of leadership through a comprehensive succession planning process requires pulling together various activities – including recruiting, evaluation, professional development and transition planning among others – and managing them together as a system. Ongoing review of the succession planning program using performance metrics helps ensure relevancy and continuous improvement.

While many of the activities traditionally associated with succession planning fall within the realm of the human resources department, DMC believes strongly that leadership development is every leader’s responsibility. Ultimately, implementation success should be gauged through metrics linked to organizational performance outcomes. An example might be to increase the ratio of internal to external candidates filling certain positions over time. We emphasize the importance of clear ownership and accountability when applying this eight-step process.