EARL McCONNELL

Training of Apprentices

Economic uncertainty often triggers HR budget cuts exactly when companies need to secure their top talent. In this environment, future-focused efforts like succession planning can fall behind immediate business needs. But building a strong leadership bench is key to long-term stability and performance.High-potential employees are 3.7X more likely to leave when they lack growth opportunities, according to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025. This creates major risk, especially when development budgets are under pressure and top talent plays a considerable role in driving results.Succession planning reduces this risk and helps companies stay competitive. The same research shows that organizations developing leaders from within are 2.8X more likely to outperform their industry peers. Despite external instability, there are practical steps talent teams can take to safeguard their leadership pipeline. With a focused 90-day plan, you can protect your critical talent—even on a lean budget.In uncertain times, succession planning isn’t a luxury. It’s a business necessity. Here’s how to accelerate your succession strategy in just 90 days.Month 1: Identify Critical Roles and High PotentialsStart by quickly determining which roles are most essential to the business. Focus on positions that directly affect revenue, operations, or customer outcomes. This is especially important during economic instability. Next, use objective assessments to identify high-potential employees and evaluate their readiness to step into larger roles.To keep high potentials engaged and feeling valued, use quick-win visibility strategies. For example, pair them with senior leaders for mentorship, invite them to contribute to strategic projects, and recognize their achievements. These low-cost actions clearly show valuable employees that their growth matters.Month 2: Create Retention-Focused Development PlansOffer targeted development experiences that close skills gaps and keep high potentials engaged. Prioritize skillsthat address current business needs, such as managing change or driving cost-saving initiatives.Transparent career conversations are also critical during unstable times. Honest dialogue provides clarity and tells top talent that their growth is still a priority—reducing the risk they’ll seek opportunities elsewhere.You don’t need to have all the answers. Acknowledge the uncertainty while reinforcing your commitment to their development.Finally, shift the focus from promotion to growth. Even if upward moves aren’t possible right now, meaningful stretch opportunities can build trust and prepare high potentials to step into a different role as needs evolve.Month 3: Implement Accountability SystemsIn the third month, focus on sustaining progress and making measurable impact.Assign clear ownership to leaders to retain high-potential talent. When accountability is shared, retention becomes a business priority, not just HR’s responsibility. Support leaders with a simple, consistent talent review process to keep succession efforts on track.Use early warning systems to detect high-potential flight risks. Recurring check-ins build trust and offer insight into emerging engagement or succession concerns.Finally, track succession plan health with tangible metrics:High-potential engagement scores Internal mobility rates Behavior change in future-focused skills Conclusion: Protect Your Talent, Protect Your FutureWith a focused 90-day plan, you can protect your company’s leadership pipeline on a tight budget. Prioritize vital roles, develop high potentials, and sustain systems over time to strengthen organizational capability and reduce costs.And remember: the cost of replacing a high-potential employee far exceeds the investment to retain them. In an unstable business climate, succession planning isn’t optional. It’s your most reliable strategy for resilience.Now is the time to act. Taking the right steps today can help you shape a stronger, more stable future.Explore how DDI helps companies build stronger pipelines, even in uncertain times.

90-Day Succession Acceleration Plan: Protecting Your Talent During Economic Uncertainty

Across industries, burnout is leaving its mark on leaders and organizations, affecting nearly one in six leaders worldwide. Defined as chronic, unmanaged workplace stress, burnout’s impact extends far beyond temporary fatigue. Burnt-out leaders are 3.5 times more likely to leave their roles to improve their well-being, threatening succession plans and disrupting retention strategies.Ahead, we’ll break down burnout’s hidden costs, warning signs, and, most importantly, how talent development teams can protect their leadership pipelines.Burnout’s Triple Threat to Your Leadership PipelineOnce leader burnout takes root, its effects spread across your organization:1. Performance RiskBurnt-out leaders are 34 percent less effective than their peers. When leaders are just trying to survive the day, decision-making and strategic execution suffer. They may also struggle to develop the skills they need for promotion, weakening your leadership bench.2. Retention RiskWhen high-potential leaders exit, they don’t just leave gaps—they disrupt teams, take institutional knowledge and training investments with them, and cost the business in recruitment and onboarding. Burnout increases departure risk by 3.5 times.3. Engagement Risk Burnt-out leaders are half as likely to be engaged, which affects more than just their individual performance. Disengaged leaders can't develop or inspire others, leaving future leaders without critical mentorship. This disengagement spreads, passing on to high-potential employees.Warning Signs in Your Succession CandidatesHigh performers are particularly vulnerable to burnout. Driven to deliver, they often take on too much at the expense of their mental and emotional health. But burnout isn’t a sign of poor leadership fit—it’s a signal they need support. Spotting these symptoms early can save your pipeline:Decision fatigue and difficulty concentratingLonger work hours with lower productivityIncreased irritability with team membersDecreased enthusiasm for projectsNeglected self-carePhysical symptoms, like headaches and sleep issuesFactors Undermining Your Leadership PipelineFour key factors fuel leader burnout and weaken succession plans: Time scarcity: Only 30 percent of leaders say they have enough time to perform their job well. This constant overload leads to exhaustion.Resource constraints: Leaders without proper tools and information are twice as likely to burn out.Lack of trust: Leaders who don’t trust senior leadership are 4.3 times more likely to burn out, often due to emotional labor and moral strain.Work arrangement misalignment: Remote and hybrid leaders face higher burnout rates, due to blurred boundaries and communication gaps—especially when their manager’s work arrangement doesn’t match their own.These factors make it harder for high-potential leaders to advance, damaging leadership pipelines. These systemic issues require organizational, not individual, solutions. How to Protect Your Leadership InvestmentHere are three critical leader burnout prevention strategies to shore up your pipeline and improve leader well-being. 1. Strengthen Delegation Skills Delegation is the most critical skill for preventing burnout, yet 81 percent of leaders lack proficiency. High-potential talent promoted into leadership often resists delegation because they must abandon the hands-on approach that earned them recognition. But success at the next level requires shifting from being valued “doers” to strategic “delegators” who empower others.2. Improve Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution is another essential skill that reduces emotional labor and keeps teams working together smoothly. Leaders who handle conflict effectively are less likely to burn out.3. Build TrustTrust is foundational to psychological safety. High-potential employees are 3.8 times more likely to leave if they don’t trust senior leaders. In trusting cultures, leaders and teams feel safe being honest, asking for help, and collaborating.Not only do these skills support leader well-being, but there’s a competitive retention advantage: leaders in organizations that apply these strategies are 11.8 times more likely to stay. To build these skills into your pipeline, prioritize them in high potential development programs, reinforce them through coaching, and make them part of your succession planning criteria.ConclusionLeader burnout isn’t inevitable, but it can be costly. Ignoring it risks losing your best talent and weakening your leadership bench. But when organizations recognize burnout as a systemic issue and take steps to prevent it, the payoff is clear.Leaders in companies with effective burnout prevention are 2.6 times less likely to burn out—and 18.5 times more likely to enjoy leading.Resilient leaders create resilient organizations. Is your pipeline protected from burnout?Explore succession management on DDI’s website.

EARL McCONNELL

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