Preparing tomorrow's leaders through succession planning from the provider perspective.

"We never know.... Fate has a way of showing up at the most inopportune times. We had been planning for Ann's retirement for months. It was going to be a loss. Not only was she a long-term employee and strong manager, she could step in and lead anything. She would be sorely missed. We knew who was going to cover each of her areas of accountability. Sue would take one unit. John would manage the Dialysis Program. We had completed a job analysis, and everything was covered. We had already begun the shifting of accountabilities. September 2 was the big day. We had 3 months to go. Then the big opportunity came. We had been working on the merger for months before it finally happened. There was only one glitch. The culture shift was going to be huge. We needed someone to lead the process. Of course, who could do it better than Ann? She had been leading change for years. She was a master. She had the one skill for which we had no succession plan. We had one person that we could call, and within 3 months she would be gone. We had missed the mark. We had not completed our succession plan." These real-life stories show how critical succession planning can be to an organization. To do it well requires a clear vision of the strategic objectives of the organization, focused development programs, and continuous enrollment of both executives and employees within the organization. Leadership training, learning projects, and creating a coaching environment also are crucial elements of a successful succession plan.