Supporting Interim Successors in Times of Crisis

Business: Supporting Interim Successors in

Times of Crisis

by Dr Edgar Paltzer

THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS LEFT MANY BUSINESSES IN NEED OF EMERGENCY SUCCESSION PLANS TO DEAL WITH A TIME OF CRISIS.

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nterim successors who step up and take charge when senior members of the team are on sick leave or isolating may have additional support requirements.

Defining Responsibilities Taking over someone else’s role in an emergency situation may involve taking on all or just some of their responsibilities, depending on the circumstances. Providing interim successors with a clear outline of their specific responsibilities can help support them as they adjust to their new temporary role. Expectations should also be managed as to long-term outcomes.

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Prior Exposure If an employee is being prepared for the possibility of becoming an interim successor, they may need preparing for this through prior exposure. This could involve engineering situations where they get to know the other board members, offering additional training, or providing access to information they might otherwise not need. The more prepared an emergency successor is, the better their chances of steering the company through a crisis.

The more prepared an emergency successor is, the better their chances of steering the company through a crisis.

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More details about emergency succession planning can be found by visiting the blog of Dr Edgar Paltzer.