Succession Planning Services
PCI's Succession Planning Services help organizations identify and prepare a pipeline of high potential leaders who are ready to step into critical roles when executives retire or depart unexpectedly.
Our Succession Planning Consultants are here to help.
Our business psychologists and leadership advisors use science-backed assessments and a proven succession planning process so you can:
- Ensure smooth leadership transitions.
- Protect business continuity and shareholder confidence.
- Strengthen retention of high-potential employees.
- Increase diversity in leadership pipelines.
- Prepare future leaders with targeted development.
- Reduce the risk of costly executive mis-hires.
Common Pitfalls in Succession Planning - And How We Help You Avoid Them
There are many ways that succession planning efforts can go wrong. Our succession planning services help you to go down the right path so you don't fall into any of these traps.
The Peter Principle
Promoting people beyond their capabilities is a lose-lose situation. We help you distinguish high performers from high potentials with validated, objective assessments.
Supervisor Bias
By using a structured nomination process, including objective assessments, and having robust talent-review discussions, you'll increase diversity in your leadership pipeline.
The Perils of Secrecy
We help you communicate the process transparently so you can build trust and keep both high performers and high potentials engaged.
Promising a Role
By having multiple potential successors and communicating with enthusiasm but not commitment, you'll encourage growth and build trust. Check out this short video from Marc Effron (Talent Strategy Group) to learn how to tell someone they are on a succession plan without promising them the job.
Waiting for a Crisis
We give you the resources and expertise you need to make executive succession an important priority before it becomes an urgent one.
Limited Insight into Internal Talent
According to the Center for Executive Succession, organizations often fail to gather enough data on their existing talent. We help you put all the pieces together so you can make informed choices.
3 Keys to Making Smart Succession-Planning Decisions
To get a good read on your internal talent, you need to have 3 sources of data, as shown in the below graphic. Each piece offers unique information to guide career paths and leadership development. If you're missing any one of these pieces, you're at risk for making poor decisions. Our succession planning consultants guide you through gathering this data and putting it all together into a talent profile.
Assessment of Performance
Documented performance evaluations, notable achievements, challenges overcome, and key experiences in feeder roles. When a senior leader nominates a successor, they should be prepared with this information to support their nomination.
Assessment of Potential
Objective, psychologist-led psychometric assessments are the only forward-looking data point. This piece is at the core of our succession planning services because it's the most predictive of success in higher-level roles. Learn about our approach.
Assessment of Perceptions
We offer interview-based, off-the-shelf online tools, or customized surveys. These tools give the leader insight into specific things that they should start, stop, and continue doing to get to the next level. And, when the 360 data aligns with objective data from the potential assessment, it can be a powerful activator of growth.
Our 5-Step Approach to Succession Planning
Whether you're in crisis mode due to an unexpected departure, proactively building your pipeline, or planning for a wave of retirements, our succession planning consultants meet you where you are. Then, we guide you through a process that's proven to get you where you want to be.
Prepare
Document nomination process, evaluation criteria, and communication plan.
Evaluate
Gather Truth Triangle data, conduct talent reviews, and shortlist successors.
Debrief
Provide honest feedback to nominees about their current status on succession plans.
Develop
Implement tailored developmental action plans for all nominees.
Select
Use structured interviews, communicate decision, and execute transition plan.
Why Choose PCI for Succession Planning Services?
- Insights and recommendations from business psychologists, each with over 20 years of experience serving as leadership advisors.
- Objective, third-party perspective that reduces bias and increases diversity in your leadership pipeline.
- Validated assessments of potential, proven to predict future success.
- Customized reporting that maps to your leadership competencies, core values, and success profiles.
- Flexible involvement ranging from being your assessment partner to managing the project from end-to-end.
Resources to Support Your Succession Planning
Learn More About Our Approach
Review our slide deck to learn more about the value our succession planning services can bring to your organization.
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Get Started with PCI's Succession Planning Services
Don’t wait until your Board of Directors asks for your succession plans. Our experts can help you build a strong pipeline of future-ready leaders. Schedule a free consultation today to get started.