What Every Leader Can Do to Build the Leadership Pipeline

Succession planning is an exercise that senior leaders in most organizations engage in. It’s a generally accepted practice with an important goal – to identify and develop future leaders, typically for specific roles.

An unintended consequence of this practice is that it leaves leaders further down in the organization (who often have the best and most complete insight and perspective on future leaders) abdicating any responsibility for succession planning.

“That’s a senior leadership responsibility,” is what I hear or observe from leaders through the organization.

This identifies part of the potential problem with the typical succession planning. The problem is bigger than this though. When succession planning is about specific names in specific boxes, it downplays the need to develop not just specific people but overall leadership bench strength.

My first two bosses in corporate America told me the same thing. “My job is to get you ready to do my job.” It is a seemingly self-less approach – striving to prepare me to take their jobs. Yet, if you are building your teams below you, isn’t that one of the best things that can be said about a leader? Both of these men were focused on building a pipeline of leaders for their organization.

I don’t know if those two bosses were involved in the succession planning process or not. But I know they actively (with me and others) worked to build a pipeline of leaders that could serve the larger organization well. And that is what this article is about – how a leader at any part in an organization can be consciously and consistently working to build leadership qualities among their teams.

And yes, I mean any leader and notice I didn’t mention having more people involved in formal “succession planning” activities.

Here’s what any leader can do:

• Take personal responsibility. Decide you can help others grow in ways that develop leadership skills. Not all leaders will do it. When you do, you help the organization and set yourself apart in a positive way too.
• Set expectations and an example. Set expectations of team members to move beyond success in their daily work but to work on the human skills that will help them lead, with or without a position. And then make sure you are modelling those behaviors for them yourself.
• Believe and show your belief. Look for reasons to see the potential of your folks. And it isn’t enough to believe in their potential; you have to show them your belief too.
• Engage and encourage. Engage people in conversations. Help them see the bigger picture of the organization. And encourage them both in their current work and in growing their skills and perspectives.
• Find or create opportunities. You might not be able to create new projects for them to lead, but maybe you can. You can advocate for them to serve on other teams. You can send them to meetings to represent you. You can delegate more often and more intentionally.

All these actions will build the leadership skills and confidence of others. All will reduce the loss of top talent and improve the results of your team and the organization.

Most of all, they all will build the quality and depth of leadership in your organization.

How are you developing and encouraging your future leaders? If you are looking for a way to do that right now, have them join us for Virtual LeaderCon 2025, Sept 22-25. During this free event, you and your leaders can learn from and with the experts and thought leaders who join me. Perhaps more importantly, they will be a part of an engaged group of learners to explore and build their leadership skills. We’ll bring the experts, the platform and process. Have them bring their time and desire, and watch amazing things happen.