If you’re the owner or director of a company, you’ve likely been planning for the day when you’ll pass it on to someone else. Even if your business is doing well, there are still some things that will need to be handled with care by a new person in charge. Here are some tips on determining who should take over when the time comes:
Evaluate their education
If you’re looking to hand over the reins to a successor who has experience in your field, then it’s important to make sure they have a degree relevant to yours. For example, if you are an entrepreneur and want someone who is familiar with business practices and will be able to take over running the company when you retire or sell it, then they should have a degree in business administration or management.
Consider their willingness to take on a new role
This may sound obvious, but it’s an important consideration. If you hand over a company to someone who doesn’t have the skills necessary to do so and they fail in their new position, you could be creating more problems than you were trying to solve in the first place.
You also need to consider whether they have enough time and energy for this new job—a founder who is burned out won’t be able to make good decisions about how best to continue growing the business without burning out again.
Understand the vision they have for your company
Once you have identified and selected the candidates for your successor, you need to determine whether their vision aligns with your company’s values. If the candidate does not share similar values as those of your own organization, it is important to ask yourself why this person would be a good fit for the position.
Assess their leadership skills
The best way to determine if a candidate has what it takes to become your successor is by observing their leadership skills. Look for someone who has demonstrated their ability to make tough decisions, hold others accountable, and drive results. This is the person who will be responsible for maintaining your company’s culture once you’re gone, so they should be able to handle the challenges that come with running an organization.
Examine the relationship they have with your employees
One important thing you should examine is the relationship they have with your employees, customers, and other stakeholders. It’s not only important that they are able to work well with others but also if they fit into the company culture. If a successor is going to be successful in their new position, they need to be able to relate with others and understand their needs, as well as share similar values and personality traits.
Determine how they navigate decision-making processes
Next, determine how they navigate decision-making processes. How do they make decisions? Do they run with big ideas or gather feedback before moving forward? What’s their process for handling conflict and change? How do they approach problems, and what is their communication style like with others? You can use these questions to get a sense of how that person works under pressure.
In the end, deciding who will take over your company is a long process. What you will need is a detailed out a succession plan. As per the experts at LinkedIn, “You can think of a succession plan as a built-in switch that automatically reassigns responsibility after attrition events.” You should look at all of your options and choose someone who is not just qualified but also willing to work with others in order to create new ideas and solutions for problems that come up along the way.
