Many health organizations in Canada have not invested enough in succession planning for leaders and managers.  Over the next 10 years however, numbers of existing leaders and managers will leave the system due to retirement. As this happens, the need to rapidly establish pathways for leadership succession will become increasingly urgent.

leadersforlife  has developed strategies to assist health organizations to address this challenge.  Our processes for DIAGNOSING organizational commitment, capacity and readiness to support leadership development can help to provide clear and effective leadership succession and development strategies for your organization.

We have developed systematic processes to help your organization DIAGNOSE their leadership development and succession planning needs, IDENTIFY individuals with high leadership potential, ASSESS their leadership capabilities, and CONNECT them with high quality leadership development opportunities. leadersforlife will also provide them with the opportunity to earn a formal CREDENTIAL from the Canadian College of Health Services Executives.   

The Best of Two Worlds

Historically, there have been two distinct pathways for leadership succession.  The first is known as the Hothouse approach.  It focuses on ‘high potential’ individuals and provides them with intensive development activities (e.g., intensive training experiences, stretch work assignments, individual mentoring and/or coaching, and selective access to senior management networking opportunities). This is the traditional investment in what is known as a “fast-track” approach to leadership succession planning.

An alternative approach to succession is the Pipeline approach.  This approach focuses on building a broader “culture of leadership” within the workforce as a whole, with the expectation that high-potential leaders will naturally emerge over time. This approach emphasizes a broad-based approach of organizational leadership succession, and provides a number of significant benefits for the organization’s overall talent pool.         

The products and services available to health organizations through leadersforlife are capable of supporting either of these two approaches; or a blended model. Our initial consultation with you and your organization will explore which of these options is most appropriate, and which leadersforlife products and services best meet the organization’s needs.