I’ve just posted both the presentation I’ll be giving tomorrow at OLA Superconference on Succession Management: Strategic & Practical as well as the worksheets for libraries (or any public-sector organization for that matter) to use in applying the concepts. So, no handouts this year. We all know what happens with the handouts; we are very serious about taking the handouts, and have the best of intentions to use them as soon as we get back to work. But the truth is 95% of the time they end up in a pile, unused. I’m really hoping people will download the worksheets and at least consider some of the questions regarding identifying key roles required within their libraries in the future — and identifying individuals for those key roles. I’m also hoping people will explore options for identifying individuals beyond their own library system. Many libraries are just too small to be able to do succession planning within their own ranks — and we are all in this together. We need to take steps that ensure all libraries are successful, not just “our own.” And succession management on a broader basis is just one way — secondments, “trades”, cross-library special projects (as opposed to internal cross-organizational special projects), are all possibilities.
So if you are planning to join in the discussion on January 29th at 10:40 a.m., print out those worksheets and bring them with you.