Big Shoes To Fill: How To Train Your Replacement
The article outlines five key succession planning strategies—assessing team members' strengths and weaknesses, exposing them to diverse job experiences, encouraging ongoing professional development, and cultivating essential soft skills—to effectively prepare internal candidates for future leadership roles in facilities management.
5 Succession Planning Tips to Put Into Practice
Identify Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Most companies prefer to promote internally rather than hire someone completely new. To support your team members and ensure your absence doesn’t leave a significant skill gap, consider each worker’s individual strengths and weaknesses. For example, one team member may specialize in mechanical work but lack HVAC knowledge, while another may be a master technician but uncomfortable with communication. Identifying these traits helps determine what skills and training your team needs for future promotions and which roles would suit them best.
Expose Team to Different Work Experiences
One way to identify strengths and weaknesses is to observe how your team performs when exposed to new job duties. Notice who is quick to pick up new information, eager to learn, or reluctant to try something different. This observation helps you decide if they’re ready to stretch themselves professionally. For younger facilities workers, exposure to various aspects of facilities management (FM) helps round out their knowledge. As the field demands more versatility, broader experience benefits everyone.
Encourage Professional Development
Facilities management changes frequently, so those who want to advance must continue their professional education. Best practices evolve rapidly, making it essential for your team to pursue continuing education units and obtain the necessary certifications for their roles and skill levels. Ongoing learning ensures your team continues to provide maximum comfort in the workplace.
Develop Their Soft Skills
Technical skills are important, but so are soft skills. For example, performing preventative maintenance requires one skillset, while explaining its importance to executives requires another. Facilities managers must communicate effectively with both maintenance staff and executives, translating each side’s language. If your team lacks these skills, help them develop their communication abilities by sharing how you manage these interactions.
Consider Being a Consultant
Even after thorough preparation, your expertise may still be needed for unique problems. Before stepping down, consider discussing a part-time consulting role with your supervisor. This arrangement allows the company to address occasional issues that only you know how to resolve, without incurring significant costs.
Good succession planning ensures the facilities department continues to run smoothly, regardless of leadership changes. Pay close attention to your team, encourage professional development, and help them strengthen weak areas. With careful planning, the department can thrive even after your departure.