It is very normal for the remaining team members to feel anxious or uneasy when one essential member of your management team, or even you, prepares to leave the company or retire. Since they are accustomed to a particular management style, they will inevitably return to the “forming” stage of Bruce Tuckman’s model of how teams function.

The “old guard” may feel as though they are trying to relearn their role when a new individual comes in. It is usual to witness a talent drain at this stage when staff members choose to follow suit and look for new possibilities.

The most crucial thing you can do to assure your organization’s future success as the departing employee (or the person directly accountable for this worker) is to develop a successful succession plan. This strategy will not only ensure that things go smoothly in the days, weeks, and months following your departure, but it will also ensure that you keep the talent you have worked so hard to cultivate.

5 tips on how to create an effective succession plan and retain your talent

1. Recognize the “middle term” : Although projections about the long term are frequently made, they frequently become out of date and useless. No, you need to become well acquainted with the organization’s medium-term objectives in order to leave behind a succession plan that is actually successful and valuable.

2. Create a plan for achieving these objectives: Based on your company’s medium-term demands, you can determine what will be needed while you are away. Always prioritise inventiveness, a desire to learn, and comfort with change before making any specific plans.

3. In this case, ‘playing it by ear’ will lead to failure:  and find out how to continue where you left off, but doing so will result in failure.

4. “There is no way I can be replaced”: We all prefer to believe that we are fully original and that our presence cannot be replaced. Not only is this untrue, but it will also result in failure without you. Give your successor all the knowledge they need so they can continue where you left off while giving the job their own unique spin.

5. Instil a sense of trust in your successor:  If your staff doesn’t believe in you, neither will your replacement. The best thing you can do for everyone involved is to build a bridge between your successor and your team.Your staff is far more inclined to trust them if you show them that you do.

What more advice do you offer for making a lasting impression?