As a business coach based in Bowling Green, I’ve worked with countless local companies on developing strategies and systems to drive growth. One area that causes frequent struggles is succession planning—the process of passing leadership from one generation to the next. Bowling Green has a strong entrepreneurial spirit, with many businesses started decades ago that are now poised to change hands. Transitioning these companies smoothly is crucial for the health of our local economy.
From my experience, these are three of the most common succession planning problems facing Bowling Green businesses:
Unclear Plans and Timelines
Many business owners have not documented detailed plans for their leadership transitions. Without outlining specific timeframes, selection criteria for successors, training procedures and communication plans, uncertainty and confusion abound when it comes time for the next generation to take charge. Employees may jockey for position, customers may lack confidence in new leadership, and ready-made successors may walk out the door in frustration.
As a coach, I guide leaders through the succession planning process to define milestone timelines, create transparency around decision criteria, design training systems and schedule periodic communication updates years in advance of the transition. With a documented framework in place well beforehand, the shift unfolds smoothly when the time comes.
Communication Breakdowns
Insufficient or inconsistent communication about impending leadership transitions leads to destabilization in organizations. When employees, customers and stakeholders lack information about timeframes, decision processes, policies around promotions, and plans for announcing the changes, uncertainty spreads. Power struggles emerge, performance declines and succession candidates consider outside job offers instead of waiting in limbo.
By coaching around intentional and regular communication strategies, Bowling Green businesses can mitigate the uncertainty. Annual state-of-the-company meetings, regular email updates from the CEO, FAQ pages on the internal website and bringing in successors to company meetings keeps information flowing. This knowledge transfer builds trust in new leadership and rallies staff around supporting successful transitions.
Failure to Develop Successors
Bowling Green entrepreneurs are renowned for their burning drive and dedication in building companies. But these passionate founders often struggle to cede control or develop others for leadership when succession time approaches. Without mentoring, training and delegation experience for the next generation, all that founder wisdom gets lost in the transition.
As a coach, I emphasize the importance of cultivating successors early on. Rotating rising stars through roles to gain cross-functional experience, assigning stretch leadership projects and formal mentoring gives these candidates the tools to sustain success when it’s their turn to take over. Setting defined requirements for roles and transparently communicating promotion criteria also allows candidates to develop the skills needed to qualify for key posts.
The Right Succession Planning Mindset
Beyond these tactical pitfalls, many Bowling Green business leaders also fall short by clinging too tightly to the way things have always been done. But succession planning requires a fresh look at people practices, communication norms and leadership development avenues in light of the upcoming changes.
As a coach, I strive to shift mindsets of seasoned executives to embrace decisions through the lens of the next generation. This cultural change empowers emerging leaders and builds an organization poised for innovation and growth for decades to come.
If you lead a Bowling Green company facing an impending change in command, now is the time for action. Don’t leave the future to chance—instead, be proactive by facing down these common succession planning pitfalls before they derail your leadership transition. As your coach, I can provide an objective outside perspective along with accountability for tackling the tough decisions to set up your succession plan for success. Let’s connect to explore how we can craft an effective framework tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
