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- Business Succession Planning Course (2 days)
Business Succession Planning Course (2 days)
A documented, working succession plan and a pipeline of ready-now and ready-soon people for your critical roles.
When a key leader resigns, retires or leaves without warning, the cost is rarely just recruitment. Client relationships stall, projects drift and years of know-how walk out of the door. This two-day succession planning training gives HR practitioners and managers a repeatable process to identify future leaders early, develop them deliberately and hand over smoothly – so continuity is planned, not improvised.
Day one builds the plan. Delegates separate succession planning from simple replacement planning, set the parameters and governance for the process, gather the operational data, run a SWOT analysis of the talent pipeline and draft a succession plan with goals, responsibilities and a monitoring system. Day two builds the people behind the plan: talent reviews and calibration, competency assessment, development plans and mentoring for successors, keeping the people you cannot afford to lose, and managing the change and communication when a transition happens.
In South Africa, succession also has to line up with your employment equity plan, your B-BBEE management control targets and the reality of scarce skills, and the course addresses all three. Delegates work on their own critical roles throughout and leave with a draft plan they can take to their executive team.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Lower risk from the sudden loss of a key person
- A documented succession plan with clear owners and review dates
- Bench strength at more than one level, not one named backup per role
- Succession aligned with employment equity and B-BBEE goals
- Better retention of high-potential staff who can see a future
For your delegates
- A step-by-step method for building and running a succession plan
- Tools for talent reviews, competency assessment and development planning
- A draft plan for your own critical roles
- Confidence presenting the plan and handling concerns
What delegates will be able to do
- Distinguish succession planning from replacement planning and decide what the organisation needs
- Set parameters for the planning process, decide whether to form a committee, and gather the data required
- Identify critical and at-risk roles and the ready-now and ready-soon candidates for each
- Run a SWOT analysis of the organisation's leadership and talent pipeline
- Draft a succession plan with priorities, goals, strategy, responsibilities and a monitoring system
- Conduct talent reviews using 360-degree feedback and calibration
- Use competency assessments to build individual development plans for successors
- Plan the change management and communication around a leadership transition
- Apply practical engagement and retention strategies for high-potential staff
Who should attend
HR and L&D practitioners responsible for talent and workforce planning, and managers who own critical roles. It is particularly useful for business owners planning their own exit or growth, executives building bench strength ahead of expansion or restructuring, and HR teams aligning succession with employment equity and B-BBEE targets.
Course outline
Day 1 – Building the succession plan
Succession planning versus replacement planning
- What business succession planning is
- What replacement planning is and where it falls short
- From one named backup to a leadership pipeline
- Deciding what your organisation needs
- Mapping critical and at-risk roles
Preparing for the planning process
- Setting the parameters and scope
- Whether to establish a succession committee
- Gathering operational and workforce data
- Linking the plan to your mission and vision
- The role of senior leaders as mentors
SWOT analysis of the talent pipeline
- Strengths in your current bench
- Weaknesses and single points of failure
- Opportunities: growth, new roles and hidden internal talent
- Threats: retirements, resignations, scarce skills and competition for talent
Developing the succession plan
- Prioritising what the plan will address
- Setting goals and objectives
- Choosing a strategy to reach them
- Aligning with your employment equity plan and B-BBEE management control targets
- Drafting the plan
Executing the plan
- Assigning responsibility and authority
- Setting up a monitoring system
- Identifying career paths into critical roles
- Choosing your final approach
- Workshop: a first draft for your own critical roles
Day 2 – Developing successors and managing the transition
Talent management foundations
- What talent management is
- Types of talent, skills and knowledge
- Key elements of a talent strategy
- Linking performance management to succession
Talent reviews and competency assessment
- 360-degree feedback
- Talent calibration sessions
- Ready-now, ready-soon and longer-term candidates
- Assessing competencies and closing the gaps
Developing successors
- Individual development plans
- Coaching, mentoring and stretch assignments
- Acting roles and job shadowing
- Feedback that develops successors
Engagement and retention
- What drives engagement
- Expectancy theory: effort, performance and reward
- Keeping high-potential staff who can see a future
- What to do and what to avoid in talent management
Gaining support and managing the change
- Gathering evidence and addressing concerns
- Change management and communication plans
- Common roadblocks and when to re-evaluate goals
- Evaluating and adapting the plan
Transition and close
- Knowing when the plan has succeeded
- Managing the handover from incumbent to successor
- Final plan review and peer feedback
- Personal action plan and evaluation
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; case studies tailored to your sector on request. Workbook, succession and talent-review templates and a draft plan for your own critical roles included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“The facilitator who conducted the training was professional and tailored both the schedule and environment to ensure that learners had a safe space to share authentic, real-life experiences”
“The training was well received and we were impressed by the knowledge of the facilitators and the quality of overall training.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Should HR and line managers attend together?
Ideally, yes. HR owns the process, but line managers own the critical roles and the development of successors. Training them together means the plan leaves the room with both groups committed to it.
Can we work on our real succession plan during the course?
Yes. Delegates are encouraged to bring an organogram and a list of critical roles. For in-house groups the facilitator works on your actual pipeline, and the information is treated confidentially.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
Related courses
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A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
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