How were you initially exposed to succession planning?

• Initially through residency observing leaders describe succession planning and some were not as familiar with what a successful succession plan looks like
• Over time, rather than waiting for a future departure to start planning, my philosophy is to adequately work yourself out of a job. This means coaching & training others so that sole teams and processes are not just dependent on one person.
• It feels really good to know that there is someone else you have trained who can step up at any given time.
• Whether through formal or informal succession planning it is always good to expose staff to skills necessary to replace you if needed
• Some people are territorial, but for added security, it’s good incentive to teach somebody else so that they have security in knowing they can handle it

How has succession planning played a role in your career journey? Can you share an experience/example?

• In my roles, I always try to have a professional development plan in place not only for myself, but for my team members, so each leader can grow in areas they are passionate about.
• I have had staff say, “I would love to have your role one day.” I don’t take that as a bad thing, I treat it as an opportunity to teach and mold someone to be able to operate in my role.
• I tend to assess strengths and weaknesses of staff members who show interest in learning. I may recognize someone is great at operations and clinical. So, the next step is for me to put them in position to succeed with finances, revenue cycle, etc.
• I plug certain staff members into certain meetings to get them exposure to certain aspects of my role while they have the capacity to learn vs waiting until they are thrust into a formal leadership capacity over such area.

What are some tools & resources you have utilized in your journey on successful succession planning?

• It’s hard to do but having an ongoing conversation and making it more than once a year at their annual evaluation. Rather than that, follow up in a couple of months, “hey, I wanted to follow up on that initial conversation we had.”
• You can always put people in a position to succeed, but ultimately you are not the sole decision maker on the way out.
• A full plan is often times few and far between. Most times these conversations are verbal. Writing a full plan on paper may be known to a few, but it really goes back to putting people in position prior to your departure.
• A toolkit is tough because every situation is different. There isn’t a one size fits all approach.
• Usually upon my staff’s departure, they’ll provide me with a full list of everything they do. This list usually comes to me and then I delegate from there. That wouldn’t necessarily be a template, but it does help set direction.
• Being cognizant of audience and sentiments conveyed by outgoing team member is important. All information is not meant for all to know. It may cause unnecessary tension in teams, etc.

What are some barriers or challenges you have experienced when implementing succession planning? Can you share an example?

• In my career, I have had instances in which I felt I prepared someone to fill a vacancy organically and internally, while not being the hiring director or VP over that role. In the case I’m referring to, I did such, but an external candidate was brought in to take the role although I felt our internal candidate was better prepared.
• Sometimes there are external factors that you cannot control in succession planning. In this case, hiring external vs a home-grown internal candidate can stall team progress and that can pose a barrier.
• You can position someone as best you can for succession, but if the decision lies with someone else, that can be a barrier.

What parting advice do you have for current or future pharmacy leaders when considering optimal strategies for succession in leadership roles?

• Sometimes as a leader, you’ll have to recognize talent in someone who doesn’t yet recognize it personally. This poses an opportunity to grow talent organically. Is this person passionate? Are they good at what they do? It may be time to expose them to other areas to create a well-rounded team member and potentially someone who can step up when needed.
• Put people over specific projects and let them flourish. Guide them along the way but allow them room to make the project their own.
• When in a position to succeed someone, ask a lot of questions up front and be open about areas of growth/gaps.
• When putting someone in a position to succeed you, you can only do so much. Be open and transparent about your role so that the team following in your footsteps knows which gaps need to be filled in the interim period before a hiring decision is made.

Interview conducted by Kofi Andoh and Alysa Baumann