Do Business Well

Along with the essential qualities necessary for the job, “look for someone you can trust and who shares the same goals as you do,” says Michael Zey. “Don’t just pick a bright performer. Instead, find someone whom you can relate to and identify with.” It is also crucial for your successor to have organizational savvy. “He or she must know how to play the game well,” Zey stresses.

Train this person as you would any new hire, with a few important exceptions. “You have to be willing to give your potential successor extra time,” Zey says. Along with imparting managerial skills, you have to let him or her observe and watch you work. “Many executives are reluctant to do this,” he adds. “They prefer to operate in secrecy. Even though it may seem inconvenient, you must bring this person into your private fold.” This is role participation, far different and much more effective than role modeling.

Instead of encouraging emulation, you must involve your candidate in the managerial process. Let him or her make decisions. If there is a problem to be solved, ask for ideas on how to do it. Let this person work with you on important projects like the budget, for example. Or if taking phone calls from irate customers is part of your job, let your successor listen in on conversations to hear the interaction. If the opportunity arises, take your candidate on business trips to observe how you work with sales and marketing people, as well as customers.

In sum, try to work your potential successor into your daily schedule so that he or she has the opportunity to see the whole job and to ask plenty of questions. Zey estimates that it could take anywhere from six months to a year to train a successor, depending upon the nature of the job and the amount of time you can afford to devote to the task.

Observation: The training process ought to be done openly. “People around you should be aware of what’s going on,” says Zey. “After all, organizations are hierarchies and this is the way things get done. Initially, there may be hurt feelings, but there is nothing you can do about it. People will quickly accept the situation as a fact of corporate life.”

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