Succession Planning Through Training

The difference between a manager and a leader isn’t just a title — it’s a mindset. Managers keep things running efficiently, ensuring processes are followed and goals are met. Leaders, on the other hand, inspire, innovate, and push boundaries to drive long-term success. So how do we transform today’s managers into tomorrow’s leaders? It starts with intentional development. 1️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 – Managers are often focused on execution, but leadership requires a broader vision. Giving managers opportunities to think beyond the day-to-day and make strategic decisions helps them shift their perspective. 2️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗘𝗤) – Leadership isn’t just about knowledge; it’s about people. Great leaders understand how to navigate interpersonal relationships, manage emotions, and communicate effectively. Investing in EQ training fosters trust and stronger team dynamics. 3️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 – The best way to create leaders? Show them what great leadership looks like. By demonstrating integrity, resilience, and transparency, senior leaders set the tone for the next generation. 4️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 – Leadership isn’t learned in a vacuum. Giving managers access to mentorship, executive coaching, cross-functional projects, and leadership development programmes equips them with the skills they need to level up. 5️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 – A leader isn’t just someone with a title—it’s someone who takes initiative and owns their decisions. Encouraging managers to take charge, make key decisions, and innovate helps them develop confidence in their leadership abilities. 6️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 – Feedback is a two-way street. Leaders don’t just give feedback—they seek it out. Creating an open environment where managers receive and provide constructive input allows them to grow and refine their leadership style. The best organisations don’t just look for leaders externally; they cultivate them from within. By intentionally developing leadership skills in managers today, we future-proof our businesses and empower the next generation to lead with confidence, purpose, and vision. Are we investing in our managers the way we should be?

The hidden signals managers use to decide who’s ready for promotion. Promotion decisions are rarely made during review season. They happen quietly, long before titles change. Here’s what managers are actually watching for. 1️⃣ How you think beyond your tasks. They look for engineers who understand why the work matters, who consider tradeoffs, risks, and long term impact, not just execution. 2️⃣ How you operate when things are unclear. Senior readiness shows up in ambiguity. Do you wait for instructions, or do you move things forward with sound judgment. 3️⃣ How much trust you’ve built across teams. Managers pay attention to whose name comes up positively in cross functional conversations. Trust is often louder than metrics. 4️⃣ How you communicate impact. Not more updates, but clearer ones. Can you explain what changed because of your work in a way non technical leaders understand. 5️⃣ How you handle mistakes and setbacks. They notice who takes ownership, stays composed, and focuses on solutions instead of blame. 6️⃣ Whether you’re already operating at the next level. Promotions go to people who make leadership’s job easier before they ever ask for the title. The biggest mistake high performers make is waiting to be noticed. The best ones learn how they’re being evaluated and act accordingly. Follow me for more insights on how promotions really work in tech.

Could self-awareness be the key to better management in your organisation? Your managers are promoted because they're technically excellent, but they aren't taught to understand how their personality impacts every interaction with their team. Most managers don't consider their style when it comes to management, they just approach things in a way that works for them. When managers understand their own communication style, decision-making patterns, and motivations, they stop accidentally demotivating high performers who operate differently and start actually creating a team of high performers. This group of managers from AGnVET who are going through The Effective Manager Program used DiSC to gain insights into their personality and that of those around them, giving them an improved understanding and ability to connect with and lead their teams. Self-awareness isn't a soft skill, it's the foundation of effective management. When your managers can adapt their approach to each team member's personality and behavioural style, you get better performance, less turnover, and better engagement. 💭 How much untapped potential is locked away in your organisation because your managers don't understand their impact on others? Shoutout to Rebecca De Pinto and Samuel Schiller for putting on a great few days for us in Wagga Wagga

The Manager Malaise: Why Are Bosses Burning Out? Being a manager has always been tough, but today it's a particularly thankless job. While managers have traditionally enjoyed perks and prestige, they're now more likely than non-managers to be disengaged, burned out, and looking for the exit door. This trend of manager malaise isn't just an isolated incident; it's a wider symptom of a workplace struggling with engagement and wellbeing since 2021. But for managers, the decline has been especially sharp. So, what's driving this burnout epidemic among the boss class? Lack of Training: One major culprit is a lack of proper training. Effective leadership requires skills, and yet, organizations are failing to equip managers with the tools they need to have meaningful conversations with their teams and foster engagement. Best Practices MIA: Training on best practices for employee engagement and performance development is scarce, leaving managers to fend for themselves when it comes to identifying and coaching their team's strengths. This lack of guidance can be overwhelming and lead to feelings of inadequacy. Skills Gap: The result of this training deficit is a skills gap. Only 48% of managers feel confident they have the necessary skills to excel at their job. This lack of confidence further fuels disengagement and burnout. What can be done? To reverse this trend, organizations need to prioritize manager development. Here are some actionable steps: 1. Invest in Training: Provide comprehensive training programs that equip managers with the skills they need to lead effectively. This includes training on communication, coaching, performance management, and employee engagement. 2. Share Best Practices: Create a culture of knowledge sharing where managers can learn from each other's successes and failures. This can be done through formal mentorship programs, peer-to-peer coaching, and knowledge-sharing platforms. 3. Close the Skills Gap: Identify the specific skills gaps your managers have and offer targeted training to address them. This could involve workshops, online courses, or one-on-one coaching. 4. Support and Recognition: Make sure managers feel supported and valued. Regularly check in with them, provide feedback, and recognize their achievements. This will help to boost morale and engagement. By taking these steps, organizations can create a more supportive environment for managers and reverse the trend of burnout. Remember, happy and engaged managers lead to happy and engaged teams, which ultimately leads to a more successful and productive organization.

You know you could be doing more and earning more. But it's a brutal job market out there. This is when smart professionals start executing an internal promotion strategy. Who has the greatest chance of landing a new role? The internal candidate. Here are 10 proven strategies to position yourself for an internal promotion: 1️⃣ Deliver Value Above Your Current Role  ↳ Consistently exceed expectations with your current work  ↳ Identify potential issues proactively, and solve them  ↳ Measure and quantify your impact 2️⃣ Increase Visibility  ↳ Volunteer for cross-functional projects  ↳ Document wins outcomes through monthly reports  ↳ Attend company events to meet senior leaders 3️⃣ Grow Your Skills Strategically  ↳ Address any skill gaps looking at promoted colleagues  ↳ Use company learning options or fund your own training  ↳ Seek out public speaking opportunities (Toastmasters is a wonderful, free option) 4️⃣ Communicate Your Ambitions Tactfully  ↳ Share your career goals with your manager  ↳ Ask for feedback and expectations for promotion  ↳ Create a portfolio of achievements to review 5️⃣ Find Advocates and Sponsors ↳ Identify and build relationships with people above you ↳ Ask for informal meetings with leaders you admire ↳ Share your achievements and ambitions 6️⃣ Take on Stretch Assignments ↳ Seek out projects that prepare you for your target role ↳ Ask for challenging assignments to show you're ready ↳ Be the one who delivers on urgent deadlines 7️⃣ Monitor and Apply for Internal Opportunities ↳ Watch internal job postings and apply immediately ↳ Look at lateral moves that may broaden your experience ↳ Speak directly with hiring managers about your interest 8️⃣ Negotiate Fairly and Professionally ↳ Know the market and negotiate your new salary ↳ Do NOT take a promotion in title only ↳ If offered a future promotion, get it in writing with a deadline 9️⃣ Be a Model Employee ↳ Be someone everyone wants on their team. ↳ Build a reputation for reliability, discretion, and EQ ↳ Don't engage in negativity or complaining 🔟 Stay Patient and Persistent ↳ Building a case for promotion takes time and consistency. ↳ This won't happen overnight ↳ If rejected, take the feedback and grow from it 💡IMPORTANT TIP: Continue to grow your network externally and stay connected! 🎉You've got this and I've got you!🎉 ♻️ Share to raise awareness around ageism 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more career strategies 📌Need a change? DM me to chat!

If you’re a CSM with a promotion opportunity in 2026, document these four proof points before you miss out: 1. The Commercial Multiplier: Most CSMs think their job ends at the renewal. I've said this time and again: to get promoted, you have to prove you are a revenue driver. Document exactly how many of your successful renewals you turned into social proof assets. Don't just say "I got a testimonial." Document: "I turned Account A’s renewal into a success story that Sales used to close 5 new deals worth $200k in pipeline". Show that your work in CS is a customer-marketing engine, not just a retention bucket. 2. The "Air Traffic Controller" Risk Save: In 2026, catching a churn risk when the "Notice to Cancel" arrives is a failure. Leadership wants to see predictive intelligence. Pick a specific instance where you caught a "hidden" risk 6 months before the renewal. Document how you noticed a 10% drop in decision velocity or a change in stakeholder sentiment and intervened before the customer even knew they were unhappy. Prove you can manage trajectories, not just respond to tickets. 3. The Internal "Process Architecture": You aren't just a high-performer; you are a force multiplier. Create one specific process or playbook you built that the entire team now uses. Did you create a logic transparency dashboard for comp audits? Did you build a vulnerability handoff template for Sales? Document how much time or revenue the company saved across the board, not just for your accounts. Show you can lead systems, not just manage a book of business. 4. The CFO-Level Value Story: "The customer is happy" is not a promotion-worthy metric. "The customer saved $150k" is. Translate your software's features into hard economic outcomes. Document a specific value story you delivered to a client's CFO. Example: "By automating their comp cycles, we reduced manual administrative labor by 20 hours/week, recovering $80k in annual ops costs". Prove you can speak the language of the people who sign your paycheck and the customer. Leadership looks for people who own the P&L, not just the relationship. If you can't point to the math behind your impact, you might come across as an expensive "Hope-Specialist." Which of these four points is the weakest on your resume right now? That is the gap I want you to work on before your review.

April is close and promotion season is coming up!! I once had a situation where one of my leaders wanted to promote a manager to a senior role as the person was a top performer. The discussion went like Me : “why do you feel he is right person for this much bigger job”? Answer : “he has done a great job for the last 2 years and contributed to the business growth and deserves to be promoted to that role”. Me : “does he have the capability to do the new role? Does he have the competencies needed? Can he manage that size of a team? Does he show the ability to coach people?” Conclusion : we agreed that the chances of the manager succeeding in the new role was low, and did not make the move. How should we view this discussion? What’s the basis for promoting someone to a bigger and more complex role? Is it past performance OR future potential? Is it for what they have done in the past or is it based on what they can do in the future? Promoting someone to a different, bigger, complex role which may likely need different competencies and skill sets needs to be a well thought out decision. Every promotion will have a risk factor, and that needs to be backed by good analysis of the person’s capability profile, potential and readiness for the new role. Performance is not equal to potential. Period. The reward for high performance is a good bonus + a good merit increase. Not a promotion, unless of course it is a grade change in the same role. The real promotion with higher responsibility comes when one has spent time developing themselves for that role, learning new competencies and skills, and building the mindset needed. They need to be prepared. This leads to a win-win for the individual and the organization. The classic example of “the best sales people rarely become good sales managers” is true. Some do. Many don’t. Performance in an individual contributor role does not mean one can manage people, much less do complex analysis, create strategy and demonstrate leadership. With effort and learning one can surely do it. But it’s not obvious. For those making the promotion decisions - ensure you don’t promote someone based on their past performance only - Promoting for potential is the right way to go about it. Look for the needed competencies, skills, mindset and readiness. - Be comfortable taking some risk…but not too much as it could end up in a lose-lose situation. For those wanting to be promoted to a bigger role - prepare for it, learn what capabilities that role needs, develop yourself to be ready. - Talk about your aspirations and share that with your manager and HR…everyone likes ambitious people. They will help you develop faster. - Keep your self awareness high…it’s important to know yourself well Careers are long…success happens when opportunity meets preparation…make sure one is prepared before they make that next move to something bigger and complex. We want promotions to be a win-win and not a lose-lose.

“When you empower the wrong people to lead, you inspire the best people to leave.” Bachar 💜 Naamani Before promoting your individual contributors to become people managers and leaders, do this👇🏼 ⚪️ Trial Period: Consider a trial period or project where they can showcase their leadership abilities, and monitor their performance closely before making a permanent decision. ⚪️ Feedback from Peers and Subordinates: Gather feedback from colleagues and team members on their leadership potential, and consider 360-degree assessments to capture a holistic view of their capabilities. ⚪️ Succession Planning: Assess the potential impact on the team, and consider how this promotion aligns with long-term succession planning. ⚪️ Emotional Intelligence: Gauge their emotional intelligence in handling diverse personalities. Consider empathy and self-awareness too. ⚪️ Conflict Resolution: Examine past instances where they effectively resolved conflicts, and consider their approach to managing disagreements within the team. ⚪️ Mentoring and Development: Look for instances where they have mentored or helped develop their colleagues, and assess their commitment to the professional growth of their team members. ⚪️ Team Collaboration: Examine their history of collaboration within the team, and consider if they have demonstrated the ability to foster a positive team culture. ⚪️ Alignment with Organizational Values: Ensure their values align with the organization's mission and culture, and consider whether they can embody and reinforce the company's core values. ⚪️ Strategic Thinking: Assess their capacity for strategic planning and long-term vision, and consider whether they understand the broader organizational goals. ⚪️ Leadership Skills Assessment: Evaluate the individual's ability to inspire and guide a team, and assess their communication skills, decision-making, and conflict resolution capabilities. ⚪️ Results Orientation: Evaluate their record of achieving individual and team goals, and consider their ability to drive performance while maintaining team morale. ⚪️ Decision-Making Skills: Assess their ability to make well-informed decisions under pressure, and consider their approach to risk management and problem-solving. ⚪️ Communication Skills: Evaluate their ability to communicate clearly and transparently, and consider how well they can articulate expectations and provide constructive feedback. Remember: “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” - Simon Sinek Agree? 💜

When manager training is just a calendar of workshops, it's confuses activity with enablement. Here's what you can do about it... Content is just content if it's not deployed at the right moment, for the right manager, against the right challenge. When an L&D content factory runs in isolation, it rarely creates the opportunities to apply the learning and actually improve skills. Development at it's worst is one-size-fits-all. Static manager academies, generic leadership tracks, and 1 program delivered to 200 managers with 200 different problems. Development at it's best is surgical. That doesn't mean complicated; it means targeted. Here's an example: At Converse, training took the form of group coaching labs that were part learning and part diagnosis. Managers didn't discuss feedback in theory, they brought their real team feedback into the room, analyzed it together, practiced responses, and left with a plan tied to their specific gaps. The experience was anchored in live data and designed to reduce individual performance friction vs. trying to address abstract manager skill gaps. Before launching your next manager training: 1️⃣ Identify the specific challenge managers are facing right now. Are they new to role, giving feedback for the first time, scaling a team quickly? 2️⃣ Bring real data into the experience, such as upward feedback, engagement scores, or attrition trends. Don't have any? Start collecting it! 3️⃣ Create a mechanism after the session to help them apply it in their own context so they can shrink the knowing-doing gap. Development works when its anchored to expectations, triggered by feedback, and tailored to the manager in front of you. When multiple cylinders of the enablement engine are running together, performance improves. The goal shouldn't be more manager training, it has to be better manager performance. #managerenablementengine

If you're an audit leader attempting to position yourself for an internal promotion to become CAE, there are two main considerations most CFOs will have when deciding to award you with the position. And these considerations are over and above the technical competence requirements for the role, which are minimum expectations. 1. Does the CFO see you as someone who can carry out the CAE role without them having to resolve disputes and disagreements with you and the business? They want to see that you can raise tough findings, have hard conversations, and still move the business toward resolution, without up-tipping the apple cart. 2. Do they see you as someone who will establish and build relationships with key people within the business? CFOs will form this impression not by observing you, but by what they hear in conversations with other leaders and their direct reports. - "Jeff was a huge help with my team ensuring we addressed this." - "I was going to do that, but Jeff already did it for me." - "Interesting you bring this up, I have chatting with Jeff on how to deal with this as well." If the CFO hears similar endorsements from three, four, or five people over 9–18 months, you’ve positioned yourself as the natural choice for the next CAE. What considerations would you add to this list?