Succession planning identifies and prepares suitable people through mentoring, training and position rotation to replace key players within the SLSC after others have resigned their position or their term has expired.
SLSC succession plans help ensure the SLSC does not cease to operate effectively due to one or several people relinquishing their commitment. The result of their work continues well beyond their involvement. It also encourages new people to become involved and not wait until there is a vacancy to consider assisting. This additional involvement also helps the SLSC in spreading the workload and generating more ideas.
Most volunteer turnover occurs at the end of the season or at the AGM. A succession plan is necessary to allow the identification, development and progression of potential leaders within the SLSC. The SLSCs that plan for smooth transitions of leadership positions are less likely to experience disruptions to their operations and are better able to position themselves to replace volunteers who vacate current positions.
Outgoing SLSC officers need to pass on as much knowledge as possible to the person replacing them. Through this process, new members can learn from past experiences and understand how former SLSC officers achieved past successes and avoided potential problems. Such an approach emphasises the importance of keeping accurate and current records of all information relevant to particular roles. In more general terms, new members can also use previous minutes to become informed about past decisions of the committee. The CMT can better manage the change process by including the training and recruitment of potential committee members within the overall strategic plan. Including these issues in the planning cycle also sends a message about their importance to the SLSC.
Components of a succession plan include:
- A strategic/business plan outlining the SLSC’s priorities
- Position descriptions that ensure SLSC members know what jobs the vacating volunteer was responsible for, the role’s expected time and commitment and skills required, etc. These make it easier to recruit new people to the position (See job description templates in the SLS Members Area Document Library)
- A policies and procedures manual outlines the day-to-day tasks of your SLSC and who is responsible for carrying them out. It will also contain policies about selection processes, health and safety issues and volunteer management
- Reporting procedures that show the reporting lines back to the committee, either directly or through subcommittee or supervisors
- Education and development opportunities that broaden the range of skills of each volunteer should they also be needed to step into vacant positions. This also helps increase job role satisfaction.
- Mentoring youth members while encouraging them to assist officer bearers in their positions so they assist the SLSC. The more people who know how to complete a job, the easier it is to cover any position when a person is absent.
Barriers to succession planning include:
- Long-serving SLSC officers restricting the development of other members with interest in the area
- People who withhold information instead of sharing it with others
- People who fear change instead of proactively embracing it
- Poor record keeping, including a lack of formalised reporting procedures
- A lack of or poor volunteer management in recruitment, screening, orientation, training, recognition and replacement
- Thinking that some members and volunteers are irreplaceable.