Much has been said about the Baby Boomer generation, that
unruly generation that challenged and redefined so many rules within our
American culture. This is the generation that created Woodstock, staged peace
protests, survived the Viet Nam War, invented the computer, and fought against
the so-called establishment until they ultimately ended up in control of that
very same “establishment”. It calls to mind an amusing TV commercial that has
been running lately wherein a stogy corporate executive-type makes a remark to
a young employee that he is “sticking it to the man”. At which point the young
employee gingerly points out to the boss that he is, in fact, “the man”. Hard
as it is to believe, those same rebellious Baby Boomers eventually settled
down, got married, got jobs, took out big mortgages, sent their kids off to college,
and actually grew up and became (somewhat) responsible. And now here we are,
shuffling steadily toward the golden years of our careers and the long-awaited
retirement.
The “official” onset of the Boomer generation began on
January 1, 1946 and concluded on December 31, 1964. During this time,
approximately 75.8 million children were born in the U.S. In 2006, the first
Baby Boomer turned 60; the first of 75 or so million Baby Boomers who are, or
will be, turning the reins of their respective company businesses over to the
next generation of leaders. As the Baby Boomers steadily exit their careers
over the next dozen years, the face of American business and industry will
change substantially. As any retiree will tell you, there are a myriad of
arrangements to be made as one prepares for retirement; but what about the
future and health of the businesses and organizations? Often in our haste to
climb the ladder of success we can become very “focused in” with regards to our
career or business and fail to identify opportunities and the responsibility to
coach and prepare other leaders to fill our shoes once we’re gone. This short
sighted approach may stroke the ego of the executive or leader with a false
sense that they are irreplaceable, but as we all know, no one is irreplaceable.
Too many selfish CEO’s and corporate executives put more
thought and energy into planning their own retirement parties than into making
mature and conscientious decisions about the future of their organizations and
for the smooth transition of leadership. Unfortunately, for the folks who
remain behind to steer the ship and tend the fires, this can lead to a
disastrous
destabilization that some organizations do not survive.
Ironically, on the surface it may appear as if the organization could not
survive without the sage leadership of the former CEO; but in actuality, the
failure to plan and poor judgment of the CEO by not preparing a succession plan
for the organization contributed to the distress of the business.
Most successful businesses have firmly established plans for
a variety of situations. We have safety plans, evacuation plans, production
plans, marketing plans; we log, categorize, inventory, count things, weigh
things, order things; it seems that no detail escapes our attention. How
strange it is that we often do very little, if any, planning for who is going
to assume key leadership roles after we’re gone. As stated earlier, not only
can this destabilize an organization, but it can also serve to create powerful
and destructive rivalries within the surviving power structure that can rip an
organization apart from the inside. It breeds a “survival of the fittest”
mentality that subordinates any mission statement or corporate objective. And
the simple truth is that this is so unnecessary and easy to avoid.
Earlier in the article I used the word coach. That is an
important word with us here at Coach Masters International. It’s not just a
word; it’s more like a philosophy. Taking the time to understand the importance
of coaching within an organization can make the difference between a smooth
transition of leadership and an organization in chaos. True coaching involves
equal opportunity for all who possess the raw qualities of leadership. Coaching
is not to be confused with playing favorites, brown-nosing, or capricious
decision making. It is about empowering people and calling one another to a
higher level. Coaching is achieved by a commitment to excellence and by
establishing an environment where people are valued based on their individual
core competencies. Cream rises to the top, and so will your new leaders.
Provide them with an adequate forum to demonstrate and sharpen their skills and
let them do the work. I have always believed that authority finds its way to
those who can wield it. By establishing an appropriate staff development
coaching program, you will be able to master the delicate art of passing the
baton to your next generation of leaders. You will be able to leave your
organization with your head held high with full confidence that you have
entrusted your office into the most worthy and capable hands.
The preceding article was penned in collaboration with Mr.
Steve Kilgore.
