How to Solve Your Leadership Continuity Problem When a Leader Departs
By Lisa Downer Rigoli
Preparing for a leadership transition is a major task.
In fact, 73% of leaders are not prepared to deal with these changes, Gartner found in a survey.
When a leader leaves, it can lead to others following them out the door – a daunting and difficult prospect.
In 2022, my leader left, leaving me shaken and questioning my position within the organization.
Then I was hit with a second wave of news: With my boss’s departure, my market underwent a reorganization.
It was a brutal one-two punch.
And again, the news shook me. As much as I had to help 4,500 people find new homes within the organization, 40+ of these leaders’ roles were redundant – meaning the organization wanted them to stay, but didn’t have a place identified for them.
These people were grieving not only their market, which was dissolved, but their teams and their bosses.
Instead of leaving them alone, I decided to help them through the transition – a transition I myself was going through with them.
First, we launched a Strategic Cohort to allow us to be accountable, meet regularly and problem solve.
Then, we implemented Stack & Build Behaviors to help us continue to grow and learn during the transition.
Finally, we explored our options for Extended Learning Programs, to help us learn, develop and sustain new skills.
Our February virtual leadership forum examined how to retain and stabilize teams that are affected by a leader’s departure.
Senior or executive level employees have a disproportionately high turnover cost for companies, of up to 213% of their average salary, according to the Center for American Progress.
That’s a big chunk of change.
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It helps to explain why some companies invest significant time and money planning for leadership continuity.
Here are three ways you can address potential leadership continuity issues within your organization when a leader departs.
- Establish succession planning processes by implementing Strategic Cohorts.
Past forum participants have found success with Strategic Cohorts, leveraging peer-based learning pods or small groups to foster innovation and problem-solving.
- Implement leadership development initiatives using Stack & Build Behaviors.
Half of our forum participants were already acquainted with Stack & Build, a structured approach designed to enhance skill acquisition and knowledge retention through systematic learning experiences.
- Launch training and development programs and explore Extended Learning opportunities.
Surprisingly, none of our forum participants were familiar with Extended Learning opportunities, which offer ongoing skill development and knowledge acquisition beyond traditional training programs.
If you’re interested in continuing discussions on topics like this, we invite you to join our next forum on Wednesday, May 1st at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. If you can’t be there live, register to receive the recap following each session.
Gartner. (2023, October). Where HR Will Focus in 2024 .Retrieved from URL
Center for American Progress. (2012, November). There Are Significant Business Costs to Replacing Employees. Retrieved from URL