In the first blog post of our series preparing your successor, we looked at how to identify your successor’s leadership style and how to highlight their gifts. Now, we are going to continue the conversation by looking at two more tips for sharing knowledge and communicating with your successor.
2. Take time to mentor your successor on the ins and outs of the business.
Mentoring is critical to make sure that your successor is able to skillfully lead the business. During mentoring, teach your successor how to use their leadership style in various situations and discuss topics such as company strengths, company weaknesses, and family dynamics. The amount of time you will need to spend mentoring your successor will depend on how much they need to grow and how much time you have before the succession takes place. If you are not sure how much time to spend, a good rule of thumb is to spend an hour a week mentoring at first, and then drop to an hour every other week after the successor develops a good understanding of the role they are about to take on.
3. Foster transparency and honest communication with your successor.
Learning to carry out the senior most leadership role can be a challenging process, so it is important to know how your successor is doing by fostering two-way communication in your relationship. Make sure that you empathetically listen to them and seek to understand their views, especially if you are in disagreement.
Communication between leaders and successors can be difficult, especially if your successor is also your child. A skilled professional counselor or coach can help increase communication between you and your successor by creating a safe environment where you both can learn to be real with one another, resolve any differences you have, and grow in collaboration and communication.
Chew On This:
What is important for your successor to know that they don’t already know?
