Success(ion) Planning A Dialogue with Canada’s Community Colleges July 2010

Agenda 1.Objectives 2.Succession Planning: Generally (10-20 Minutes) 3.The Survey (20-30 Minutes Open discussion) 4.Short Break at 10:00am 5.30 Minute Breakout Sessions (3 or 4 depending on time) 5.Re-cap at Noon

 To start the discussion  To share experiences, knowledge and ideas  To harness the collective wisdom of the group  To inspire debate  To take action  To be ready for the future Objectives

 Succession planning may be event driven, but it is not an event. It requires action and thought from current leaders  It is organizational evolution; it should come ‘naturally’ but often doesn’t because of other more immediate priorities  Colleges are the ultimate succession planners in a knowledge-based society - Who better to take the lead  Duty to each College and to the sector as a whole. Success(ion) Planning: Generally

Organizations need leaders to succeed. 1.Define “future” “leaders” 2.Identify and attract them 3.Develop and nurture them 4.Hold onto them 5.Hold on even harder 6.Develop an un-succession plan Success(ion) Planning: Core Steps

Step One: Define “Future” “Leaders”  What does the future have in store for Colleges?  Uncertainty makes defining future leadership difficult  Definition needs to be flexible  What foundational competencies will be required in the future (empathy, creativity, collaborative, etc.)  Adjust along the way

Step Two: Identify/attract Future Leaders How are they identified,  Looking inside and outside your organization  (Are you prepared to single out people early on in their careers to become leaders? Is this doable in a multi-stakeholder milieu?)  Performance reviews – HR’s role in scouting …and by whom?  By Self … By Others … By Chance

Step Three: Develop them How do they become leaders?  Inspiration: Role models set the example  Aspiration: encouragement, mentorship, and honest feedback  Osmosis: Culture that values leadership (incentives, rewards, recognition)  Investments: Professional development  Commitment: Offer challenges/opportunities

How do you retain your future leaders?  A plan that is transparent and ‘believable’  Opportunities for growth  Show commitment to promoting from within  Respected leadership from above  A culture that truly aligns with the values of leadership development Step Four: Hold on to them

 Competition for College leaders will intensify…I promise Probability of Departure = x + y x = reasons to leave your organization y = reasons to join another organization  Can’t do much about y, but if x is not managed, talent will leave and your institution may become a poaching ground for your talent.  Not a distinction an institution should covet.  Retention is about minimizing the x Step Five: Hold on harder

 Create space for mobility and opportunity  Be creative; it’s not always about titles or roles.  Encourage current academic and administrative leaders to take the lead and think about opportunities for future leaders to stretch  This helps engrain leadership development into the culture  Create mentorship programs Step Six: Develop an un-succession plan

What can derail a succession plan?  Increased demand from intra/inter-sector competition  An underestimation of future leadership needs  An overestimation (too many Heisman Quarterbacks)  Lack of commitment from the top creating a disengaged (‘disenfranchised’) faculty  Human nature and the attraction of the “outsider”  Success may come at a cost – Could become a poaching ground for talent The Challenges

Survey Results Overview  All College Presidents invited to participate  Deadline extended to ensure maximum participation  75 participants  Some expected and unexpected findings

Some interesting findings  75% said their internal workforce is only partially ready for the next level or responsibility (Q15)  Only 12% see future leaders coming from within their institution (Q14)  Yet 59% say their organization provides future leaders with development opportunities (Q18). What’s not working?  Close to 60% are currently experiencing the challenges of finding leaders (Q12)  35% see succession planning as important but have personally invested little or no time in it (Q10)

Some more interesting findings …  As a cluster, Strategic leadership, People leadership and Relationship and Collaborative Skills out ranked Educational leadership, College and non-College experience(Q13)  Over 50% will be retiring in the next five years (Q4)  36 respondents anticipate a quarter or more of their senior team leaving within five years. (36 multiplied by 2 or more people equals a lot of senior vacancies) (Q1) and only 8 respondent expect the majority of the vacancies to be filled internally (Q2)  The majority felt the board should stay out of the kitchen when it comes to non-CEO succession planning (Q8)

Break out Session – 1 (30 Minutes) Breakout One: Questions  What are your five main concerns about College leadership, academic and administrative, in the future?  What three trends, unique to the College world, are likely to impact the sector’s ability/inability to identify, attract and develop its future leaders? 60% of the respondents rated their organization’s succession planning process as “needs improvement” and almost 70% said the Board “has not taken step, not addressed the issue or is ill-prepared to deal with your succession.”

Break out Session – 2 (30 Minutes) Breakout Two: Questions  As Presidents, what five things are you currently doing or should you be doing about the future leadership needs of your College?  What three directives would you take to your HR leaders following this session, taking into account what has worked and not worked for your organization in terms of leadership development? Over 70% of respondents said their HR group supports the efforts of all academic and administrative units across the College, while only 55% of respondents say they invest a lot of time in succession planning.

Break out Session – 3 (30 Minutes) Breakout Three: Questions  What are the specific risks and potential costs of not having a comprehensive succession plan in place?  What do College Presidents need to do within the next 24 months to minimize these risks and costs to their institution?  If you were an external consultant, what advice would you give College Boards about succession planning? 67% of respondents said their College’s succession planning process needs improvement or is non-existent, while 55% of those with a succession planning process in place say their Board has, or has an interest in developing a succession plan.

Breakout Session 4 – (30 Minutes) Breakout Four: Questions  Given that the future is uncertain, what defines ‘talent’ today? That is, what 5 core foundational competencies should College’s be looking for in staff and academicians today to ensure sound leadership for the future?  What three things can your senior administrators and faculty commit to now to further incorporate leadership development into the culture? “ Strategic Leadership, People Leadership, and Relationship and Collaborative skills were the highest ranked core competencies required of future leaders.

Session re-cap Preparing the follow-up document What would you like to see included? What are you not interested in having in the document? What format would you like it in? Other requests?