Four steps to identifying, developing and preparing future leaders.

Authors: Laura Ford Brian Smith Chad Roedder

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Higher education institutions face a unique leadership challenge. An aging workforce, increasing retirements, evolving student expectations, budget pressures and growing regulatory demands have heightened the need for effective succession planning. Yet many colleges and universities approach succession planning only when a key leader announces retirement or departure. Reactive replacement strategies often create leadership gaps, disrupt institutional priorities and lead to costly external searches.

To remain competitive, succession planning can no longer be viewed as a standalone talent initiative. Instead, it must be grounded in strategic workforce planning that enables institutions to proactively assess future talent needs, identify leadership gaps and develop the capabilities required to sustain their mission. By aligning workforce strategies with long-term institutional goals, higher education leaders can build a strong pipeline of future-ready talent and ensure the next generation of leaders is prepared to guide their institutions through an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment.

Effective succession planning is not simply identifying a replacement for a president, provost, dean or department chair. It's a deliberate process of building leadership capacity across the institution to ensure continuity, preserve institutional knowledge and prepare the next generation of leaders. A practical framework for higher education institutions includes four key steps: evaluating the current state, assessing future leaders, creating development plans and a phased implementation approach.

In a moment when we must work harder to attract and retain talent, a defined career pipeline strategy can help you win the war on talent. Today's workforce wants to see clear advancement opportunities, career development and merit-based, equitable promotions. Your time and attention to this effort will be noticed and appreciated by your faculty and staff.

Step 1: Evaluate the current state

The first step in succession planning is understanding the institution's current leadership landscape. Colleges and universities should identify positions critical to mission success and assess the risk associated with potential vacancies.

Questions to consider include:

  • Which leaders are expected to retire within the next three to five years?
  • Which positions are difficult to recruit externally?
  • Where does significant institutional knowledge reside?
  • What leadership capabilities will be required in the future?
  • In what areas will our mission be compromised with a leadership vacancy
  • What is our ability to successfully integrate external candidates for success in our campus culture?

This assessment should extend beyond executive positions. Academic departments, student affairs functions, enrollment management, finance, human resources and information technology all contain critical roles that can significantly impact operations if left vacant.

A workforce analysis can help institutions understand demographic trends, turnover patterns and talent pipeline gaps. The outcome should be a clear picture of succession risks and priority positions that require focused attention.

Step 2: Assess and evaluate future leaders

Once critical positions are identified, institutions should evaluate internal talent to determine leadership readiness and potential. A common mistake is assuming that high-performing employees automatically become effective leaders. While performance is an important indicator, leadership potential also includes strategic thinking, adaptability, communication skills, influence, emotional intelligence and the ability to lead through change. An outside perspective can be valuable to ensure the assessment is not limited to the usual candidates or known quantities on campus.

Universities can leverage a variety of assessment methods, including:

  • Leadership competency assessments
  • 360-degree feedback processes
  • Talent review discussions
  • Career aspiration interviews

Particularly in higher education, assessing leadership potential should include evaluating an individual's ability to navigate shared governance, build consensus, foster inclusion and manage complex stakeholder relationships. This may be a new skill area for some faculty members, particularly those who aspire to administrative leadership roles.

The goal is not to create a "successor list" but rather a leadership pipeline with multiple individuals who can grow into increasingly complex responsibilities over time.

Step 3: Create individual development plans

Succession planning only becomes meaningful when it leads to development. Once emerging leaders are identified, institutions should create structured development plans tailored to individual strengths and growth opportunities. While it's tempting to think of formal education, most development comes from on-the-job assignments, combined with coaching or mentoring.

Effective development strategies may include:

  • Stretch assignments and special projects
  • Committee leadership opportunities
  • Interim leadership roles
  • Cross-functional experiences
  • Leadership coaching
  • Mentoring relationships
  • Customized leadership development programs

One of the most effective strategies is exposing emerging leaders to responsibilities outside their traditional areas of expertise. For example, a department chair may benefit from participating in strategic budgeting initiatives, while an administrative leader may gain valuable perspective by serving on accreditation or academic planning committees.

Development plans should include measurable goals, timelines and regular progress reviews to ensure accountability and ongoing growth.

These development plans should be accompanied by an intentional conversation between senior leadership and the succession candidate. Typically, the benefits of informing succession candidates of their designation outweigh the costs. That said, this conversation is a delicate one that needs to manage expectations (i.e., there's no guarantee of the succession candidate moving into the role at a given date) and emphasize the need for confidentiality (i.e., succession candidates should not share their designation with others who do not have a clear need to know).

The value of off-campus resources

While internal development opportunities are important, higher education institutions often benefit significantly from incorporating external resources into their succession planning efforts. Off-campus development experts provide leaders with broader perspectives, exposure to innovative practices and opportunities to build professional networks beyond their institution. They're also well-positioned to guide these conversations about expectations and confidentiality.
External development experiences help future leaders benchmark their practices against other institutions, gain exposure to emerging trends and develop skills that may not be available through internal programs alone. Additionally, outside facilitators and coaches can provide objective feedback that internal stakeholders may be reluctant to offer.
Investing in external leadership development often accelerates readiness and helps institutions cultivate well-rounded leaders capable of addressing increasingly complex challenges.

Step 4: Start small and use a phased approach

One of the biggest reasons succession planning initiatives fail is attempting to do too much at once. Institutions often launch ambitious programs encompassing every department and leadership level, only to become overwhelmed by the administrative burden. Starting with a small group of critical positions allows institutions to demonstrate success, gain leadership support, and refine processes before expanding the program institution-wide.

A Practical Approach to Succession Planning:

Phase 1: Establish the foundation

  • Identify critical leadership positions
  • Conduct workforce and risk assessments
  • Develop leadership competency models

Phase 2: Build the talent pipeline

  • Assess leadership potential
  • Conduct talent reviews
  • Identify succession candidates

Phase 3: Implement development strategies

  • Create individual development plans
  • Launch mentoring and coaching programs
  • Utilize external development resources

Phase 4: Sustain and refine

  • Monitor progress and readiness
  • Update succession plans annually
  • Measure outcomes and improve processes

Common pitfalls to avoid

  1. Waiting for a vacancy: Succession planning should be proactive, not reactive. Development requires years, not weeks.
  2. Focusing only on top leadership roles: Leadership continuity is needed at all levels of the institution, not just in executive positions.
  3. Confusing performance with potential: Strong individual contributors do not always possess the competencies necessary for leadership success.
  4. Failing to engage employees: Potential future leaders should understand development opportunities and career pathways available to them.
  5. Neglecting diversity in the talent pipeline: Succession planning should intentionally support diverse leadership representation and broaden opportunities for advancement.
  6. Relying solely on internal development: Without external exposure, future leaders may develop a limited understanding of emerging practices and trends.
  7. Creating plans that sit on a shelf: Succession planning should be integrated into faculty or staff review processes, strategic planning and leadership development efforts.

Succession planning is one of the most important long-term investments a college or university can make. By evaluating the current state, assessing future leaders, creating targeted development plans and implementing a phased approach, institutions can build a sustainable leadership pipeline that supports organizational stability and future success.

Gallagher's Higher Education team can share their experience and assist you every step of the way — or supplement your campus initiatives already underway. Contact us to learn more.

Authors

Disclaimer

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