Through our proven Business Execution System, we've guided companies of all sizes through the critical process of succession planning—helping them identify, develop, and seamlessly transition their next generation of leaders. What we've learned from working with diverse industries and leadership teams is this: successful succession planning isn't just about having a plan on paper. It's about creating a systematic, repeatable process that becomes embedded in your organization's culture.
That's why we're passionate about providing you with the tools and templates that have proven effective across our client base. When you have the right structure in place, succession planning transforms from a daunting, once-in-a-while task into an ongoing strategic advantage.
From hiring and onboarding to rolling out new processes and procedures, using templates makes the job significantly easier. As your organization works to build a succession plan, a template provides you with a clear framework and takes care of the heavy lifting.
When passing the torch onto your successors, a key first step is to take an honest assessment of your current duties. Mastering delegation is a prerequisite to effective succession planning and one of the most important things you can do to safeguard your company's future.
Here, we'll walk you through all the benefits of developing a custom planning template and guide you through organizational best practices. We'll also send you off with a helpful exercise and companion delegation template to get you started.
The Purpose and Advantages of a Succession Planning Template
A well-designed succession planning template is more than just a worksheet. It’s a strategic tool that brings clarity, structure, and focus to one of the most critical processes in any organization. While every business has unique needs, using a standardized template ensures you’re consistently addressing the right questions, roles, and goals.
Here are just some of the benefits of developing and implementing a succession planning template:
- Structure and Consistency: When you start the succession planning process with a customized template, everyone involved is on the same page from day one. The right template provides your teams with a standardized framework for identifying critical roles, assessing potential successors, and outlining development plans.
- Organizational Goal Alignment: A customized succession plan allows you to incorporate your company's unique strategic goals and needs. This helps you supports the long-term success of your business.
- Conservation of Time and Resources: Working off a pre-defined, structured template helps keep everyone on task and leaves little room to wander. Although the template takes time to build up front, succession planning from that point on runs faster and more smoothly.
- Smooth Transitions: With a comprehensive succession plan template in place, it's easier to identify and develop potential successors far in advance. Unexpected departures become far less disruptive and operations stay stable.
- Enhanced Employee Development: Identifying high-potential employees and providing them with targeted development opportunities is a key element of succession planning. When you're working from a template, you'll eliminate gray areas for your employees, provide them with a clear path forward, and boost morale.
From improving leadership continuity to enhancing employee development and reducing risk, a succession planning template creates a strong foundation for long-term success. It turns a complex, often overwhelming task into a manageable, repeatable process that aligns with your organization’s vision.
Succession planning templates not only support business continuity but also help future-proof your organization with a more strategic approach. Whether you're just getting started or refining an existing succession plan, a template ensures you’re shaping the future of your organization, not just filling roles.
Building Your Succession Planning Template: Core Components
Now that we've covered some of the benefits of a succession planning template, let's go over the ingredients. Your succession planning template should include all of the main steps of the process: identification of critical roles, successor criteria, talent assessment, delegation plans, and a communication strategy. You should also include key timelines and contingency planning guidelines.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the core elements:
2. Successor Criteria: Here, you'll clearly define the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed for each critical role. This includes both current and future requirements, considering potential changes in the business landscape. Mapping these out provides leaders with a clear guide on the traits of potential successors, eliminating guesswork.
3. Talent Assessment: In this step, you'll evaluate your organization's current workforce to identify potential successors for the critical roles. You'll look at their skills, experience, leadership potential, and overall readiness for those critical positions. In your template, you may include performance reviews, feedback from managers, and assessment tools.
4. Development Plans: Once potential successors are identified, you'll create a tailored development plan for each to address any skill gaps and prepare them for the target role. Your template should outline specific development activities, such as training, mentoring, coaching, and on-the-job experiences.
5. Effective Delegation: Delegation is a crucial bridge between identifying successors and developing them. In this step, you'll outline key leadership responsibilities and who you're passing the torch to as part of your leadership transition strategy. Consider including a section to map current tasks to potential successors, along with any training or support they’ll need to take ownership.
6. Communication Strategy: One of the most important elements of a succession plan is the way you share it with the broader organization. In your template, establish a clear communication plan to inform relevant stakeholders about the succession plan and its progress. When communication is clear, you'll build trust and foster transparency throughout the process.
7. Timeline and Milestones: Here, you'll set a realistic timeline for the succession planning process. Make sure to include defined milestones at each stage. This structured approach allows you to monitor progress regularly and make necessary adjustments along the way.
8. Contingency Planning: Things don't always go as planned, so it's important to have a contingency plan in place. Your template should take potential disruptive scenarios into account, like unexpected departures or changes in business needs. It should also outline the actions needed to mitigate the negative impact of those possibilities.
9. Review and Update: Your succession plan is a living, breathing process and your template isn't a static document. Schedule regular reviews of the material and update it to ensure it's effective and relevant.
When you include these core components, your succession planning template goes from a routine checklist to a working tool you can actually use. It keeps everything organized, everyone on the same page, and helps you stay ready for whatever comes next.
Your goal here isn’t to have a perfect plan from day one, but to have something solid you can build on, adjust, and improve over time. With the right structure in place, you’ll be one step ahead when it comes to growing your talent and keeping your business running strong.
Role Shifting Exercise: Free Delegation Template
Succession planning doesn’t just happen at the organizational level. It starts with individual leaders taking a closer look at how they’re spending their time. Before you can prepare your successors, you need to make space for leadership by reassessing your own workload.
This simple role shifting exercise helps you identify what to keep, what to delegate, and how to align your time with what matters most. It’s a foundational step in building a stronger leadership pipeline, starting with you.
Role Shifting Exercise
Imagine your job as a pile of logs you carry each week. Each log represents a specific responsibility. Some are yours alone; others are shared. Carrying too many can distract from the strategic leadership needed to grow and strengthen the business. This exercise is a chance to reflect on which logs you carry and how you invest your time and leadership energy.
Step 1: Inventory Your Work. Use the table in this free, downloadable delegation worksheet to list all your current responsibilities. Review your calendar, inbox, job description, or ask a colleague or manager to help identify anything you’ve missed.
Step 2: Evaluate & Prioritize. Highlight tasks you’d ideally transfer. What do you do best? Enjoy most? Where are you most needed?
Step 3: Identify Successors. If someone could take over a task, name them.
Step 4: Set Handoff Dates. Estimate when each task could realistically be transitioned.
Step 5: Outline Next Steps. Note any follow-up actions, questions, or support needed.
Step 6: Estimate Time Freed. Roughly calculate the percentage of your time you'd free up.
Step 7: Reinvest Your Time. List high-impact activities you'd shift your focus to (areas that match your strengths and the company’s needs).
Step 8: Plan for Growth. Identify any development, training, or support you need to grow as a leader.
By completing this exercise, you’re not just clearing tasks off your plate. You’re setting the stage for meaningful leadership development across your team.
Delegating with intention allows others to step up, grow, and prepare for future roles, while giving you the bandwidth to focus on higher-level strategy. It’s a small yet essential part of the larger succession planning process: making sure the right people are doing the right work at the right time, starting from the top.
Unleashing the Potential of Your Organization
Succession planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming, but it does have to be intentional. By using a clear, customizable template, you can shift from a reactive mindset to a proactive strategy that protects your organization’s future and nurtures your next generation of leaders.
Start small if you need to. Consider piloting the template with one team or department and make revisions as you go. The key is to simply get started.
Need more guidance around developing a customized succession plan template? Connect with us or consider attending one of our upcoming leadership events.