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Re-Entering the Succession Atmosphere: Make Sure the Heat Shield Is In Place
July 4, 2008
In the last article, Bringing People Back: Does it Help With Succession?, we talked about whether or not it’s wise to welcome back the prodigal son, daughter, very special key manager, et al. Let’s assume the answers to the questions we raised all indicate that it’s time to bring someone home again.
In May, 1961, John F. Kennedy challenged us to send someone to the moon and return them safely to the earth. In essence, re-entering the succession atmosphere can be just as dicey. While some will rejoice, others are just as likely to cringe in fear or disgust. So how do we get our people home safely?
Once you’ve made your decision, there are several ways that work well. All involve and require communication with others who will be affected by your decision. Handling this well makes sure that the “heat shield” surrounding the re-entry stays in place.
Make certain the job is real.
If you’ve decided to bring someone back, it’s imperative that they have a job/position that adds real value to the organization. If people are brought back to a non-challenging, fairy tale position, then you’ve pretty well sealed their fate.
Have a clear set of expectations related to performance. Make certain the person knows how the organization may have changed during his/her absence and where the current direction will take them.
Develop an internal sales/marketing plan.
Take time on the front end to consider who’s going to be impacted by your decision (yes or no) and think about how to overcome both objections and irrational exuberance. Remember, the prodigal son’s brother wasn’t real keen about his return.
Use relationship selling to close the deal.
Position yourself with the faithful (those who’ve never left - physically or emotionally) by asking questions and understanding their needs and concerns about bringing someone back. Advise those most affected in private to give them an opportunity to express their reactions in a relatively safe environment. This also gives you an opportunity to show how you can meet their concerns and build on their ideas.
Stay involved at an appropriate level.
Once the person is back on the job, keep the proverbial “ear to the ground” for feedback on how things are going. If it’s appropriate for you to be involved directly in individual coaching, then provide open and honest feedback on how the reconciliation is going. If it isn’t working, then let the person know where the problems are and how to overcome them. If it is working, then focus on how to continue building on the strong return.
In effect, when you bring someone back into the organization, you are the heat shield. If you want it to work well, the person you’ve brought back needs your support – which includes open and honest communication – in order to have a successful re-entry.
Posted by Dan Schneider on July 4, 2008 | Comments (0)
