What are the best ways to ensure your successor can build on your legacy?

1 Identify your successor early

One of the first steps to ensure your successor can build on your legacy is to identify them early. This will give you enough time to assess their strengths and weaknesses, provide them with feedback and coaching, and expose them to different aspects of your role. You can also involve them in strategic planning, decision making, and problem solving, as well as introduce them to key stakeholders and partners. By identifying your successor early, you can help them develop the confidence, competence, and credibility they need to take over your role.

2 Communicate your vision and values

Another way to ensure your successor can build on your legacy is to communicate your vision and values clearly and consistently. Your vision and values are the guiding principles that shape your leadership style, your team culture, and your performance standards. By sharing them with your successor, you can help them understand your expectations, align their goals with yours, and inspire them to follow your example. You can also encourage them to articulate their own vision and values, and discuss how they can integrate them with yours.

5 Document and share your knowledge

A fifth way to ensure your successor can build on your legacy is to document and share your knowledge with them. Documenting and sharing your knowledge means creating and updating records, files, and manuals that contain relevant information, data, and insights about your role, your team, and your projects. This will help them access and use your knowledge easily, efficiently, and effectively. It will also help you preserve and transfer your expertise, wisdom, and lessons learned.

6 Plan and execute a handover

A sixth way to ensure your successor can build on your legacy is to plan and execute a handover with them. Planning and executing a handover means setting a clear timeline, agenda, and objectives for the transition, and communicating them to your team, your successor, and other stakeholders. It also means ensuring that your successor has all the resources, tools, and contacts they need to perform your role, and that you have completed all your tasks, obligations, and commitments. By planning and executing a handover, you can ensure a seamless and successful transition for yourself, your successor, and your team.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?