Talent Review & Succession Planning

Succession planning used to be a boardroom-only topic. Reserved for top executives, it was a process cloaked in confidentiality and driven more by politics than by data. But today, organizations face unprecedented levels of change—digital transformation, hybrid work, evolving skills demands, and a more mobile workforce than ever. These shifts have changed succession planning from a “nice to have” into a strategic necessity.

At its core, succession planning is about organizational resilience. Who steps in when a key leader leaves? What happens if a critical capability suddenly disappears? How do we build a strong, flexible talent bench that can carry us forward—even when the future is uncertain?

To answer those questions, organizations need more than a spreadsheet of names. They need a robust talent review process that integrates succession into the way they think about people, potential, and performance.

This section explores the full scope of Talent Review & Succession Planning, including:

• How to design effective talent review cycles that go beyond bureaucracy
• Ways to assess succession risk and map future scenarios
• How to use the 9-box grid without turning it into a checkbox exercise
• Building and nurturing talent pools—and measuring their readiness
• Governance practices that ensure calibration and fairness
• Starting succession planning from scratch (even with limited resources)
• Connecting succession with career development and retention
• Using technology and AI to identify and support future-ready talent
• Unlocking internal mobility and surfacing hidden talent

In short: this isn’t just about planning for absence. It’s about being intentional with presence—building the right people for the future you want to lead.

Let’s dive into the tools, models, and real-world practices that make succession planning work—whether you’re starting from scratch or rethinking an outdated system.