Everyone loves power and success. As you look around in your organization, you might wonder how many people in your organization are eligible to retire?

You might think that you will be a perfect replacement for them once they retire. However, it is essential to know that with power comes responsibilities and accountability.

First things first, you need to make sure that you have enough potential to take over the responsibilities which will come along with the power.

You  should be aware of the process which is involved in replacing the senior employees of your organization. In one of his interviews John Fuerst, renowned Vice President of Engineering at Tula Technology stated that the most crucial step to replace your senior is to develop a succession plan.

A succession plan is where an organization prepares its employees to potentially suitable for the particular position they aspire for. This includes involving employees in various mentoring programs, job rotation, coaching and advanced training.

The overall goal of this program is to ensure that whenever any senior retires there should not be a vacuum for his/her position. The existing employees must be potent enough to take over the responsibilities.

If you are looking forward to increasing your career potential you should make sure you are on the succession list as early as possible. However, remember that this is a long-term plan which may take five to fifteen years.

According to John Fuerst, planning ahead is the key to achievement. If you are interested in career progression you must plan well ahead. 

• Here are a few crucial steps you must take in order to become eligible and potentially sufficient to replace your senior:

Firstly, you need to evaluate the positions which intrigue you. Once you have evaluated and sorted your field of interest it is important to identify the skills you will be needing to accomplish the same. You can opt for on the- job training as well as take up external training as well.

Develop a career development plan for yourself and engage yourself in ongoing training in the organization. This will not only be beneficial for brushing up your skills but it will also help you to get a better understanding of the organization.

Go ahead and ask for additional leadership responsibilities which will help you to broaden your skillset. ‘Develop your skills at a strategic level’ says John Fuerst. This means that you need to focus on your strategic planning strengths.

Focus on creating a strong network of relationships. You want everyone to like you as a leader. Thus, it is important to become a part of your organizational activities as much as possible. You must always be prepared whenever the opportunity knocks at your door!

In some instances, an organization might hire an external executive or consultant who helps in providing better training to the employees. At times, it might happen that the people in the company might not like an insider guiding them about how work is supposed to be done. This might offend the employees. Thus in such a case, the company might consider hiring a third party for the same.

Not only the employees, but the company also must put in the right amount of efforts in selecting the appropriate candidate. This means that the management should ensure that they are considering the right candidate for the job.

Detailed interviews must be  taken to make sure that the candidate is well prepared for the position. A candidate must make sure that he/she is well versed in responding to behavioral questions.

The main purpose of succession planning is to ensure the continuity of highly qualified staff, in key roles. On the other hand, it also acts as a motivational tool for aspiring employees.

It doesn’t matter whether your organization has a plan in place or not, never take anything related to your career for granted. Always be prepared.