Succession Nomination Survey Template
Succession Candidate Nomination Tool
The Succession Nomination Survey Template is a simple tool that can be used to identify which candidates to consider for succession into the critical roles you identified in Stage 1 of the succession planning process. Think of this step as taking an inventory of your available talent. We recommend completing the Succession Nomination Survey Template for all staff relevant to the critical role you are planning for, not only the top succession candidates. Consider looking for succession candidates beyond your functional area to other teams and departments to see if employees in a different area might be good succession nominees.
Using SIGMA’s Nomination Survey Template to Identify High-Potential Successors
The nomination survey helps keep the talent identification process fairly simple. It asks respondents to rate how confident they are that the potential successor can perform the role, and how soon the succession candidate will be ready to move into the role. It also leaves room for respondents to add any thoughts or comments that might assist with the evaluation of successors.
The successor nomination survey can be completed by:
- a succession candidate’s supervisor, who is often the incumbent currently in the role
- several senior managers who have the necessary perspective to provide meaningful ratings
- leaders, peers, and direct reports who can round out a 360-degree rating
How to Use the Succession Nomination Survey Template
The Succession Nomination Survey asks you to indicate the name of the candidate and the role they are being considered for. Then, rate each succession candidate on two criteria:
1. Indicate the Name and Position of the Candidate
The Succession Nomination questionnaire asks you to indicate the name of the candidate and the role they are being considered for. Again, we recommend doing this exercise for all relevant candidates, not only the top succession candidates.
2. Rate Your Confidence in Succession Candidate’s Ability to Perform
Evaluate how confident you are that the succession candidate would be able to successfully perform the role they are being considered for Ratings will range from not at all confident to very confident.
3. Rate the Succession Candidate’s Readiness for the Role
Based on your knowledge of the succession candidate, rate how long you think it will be until they are ready to move into the role. Ratings will range from “ready now” to “never ready.”
So now that we have our success profile, as I said, this is essentially the target, where we want our successors to get to, the target that we’re trying to hit. And now that we have this, it helps us understand the talent we need. So that target is the talent we need.
Next, we need to understand what we have in place today. What does our internal candidate pool look like? A great first step in this stage is actually nominating successors and it’s actually, we think it’s important to have a relatively simple process because what we’re trying to do is essentially develop, at risk of sounding a little bit institutional, a bit of an inventory of our talent and where everybody is in terms of their readiness and our confidence. And the nomination questionnaire that we use is simply two simple questions. How ready is the individual? And, how much confidence do we have in their ability to perform in this role that they would move into?
How Many Succession Candidates Should be Evaluated?
While it is tempting to complete the Nomination Survey for only the top performing candidates, we recommend evaluating all staff relevant to the role you are planning for. The insights of the team members closest to the candidates may reveal someone that the succession team would not otherwise have uncovered.
Assessing Talent with the Succession Candidate Nomination Survey
Once your succession planning team has received all the Nomination Surveys for all potential successors for a particular role, you can compile the results to get a picture of the individuals who could be named in your succession plan to eventually move into that role. Your succession team should then discuss and validate the results, and make the final decision about how prepared the succession candidate is for the role, as well as the team’s confidence in their potential.
The final results of the leadership identification process will help the succession team develop your Succession Bench—list of successors and their relative readiness to take on a role. We’ll take a look at how to build and maintain your succession bench in our next succession planning article.
Gather Input From Multiple Sources
When completing the Succession Nomination Survey, it is important to gather information from multiple sources, including the current incumbent in the role, senior management and succession advisory teams, as well as leaders, peers, and direct reports of the candidate. You can record any relevant information in the comment box to add context to your evaluation. Once you have completed a Nomination Survey for all potential succession candidates, you can compile the results and discuss the ratings with your succession team. There should be general agreement amongst the team on each candidate’s potential and readiness. This discussion will help you with the next stage of succession planning, building your Succession Bench.
Need Help Getting Started?
If your organization needs an effective succession plan fast, SIGMA’s Succession Planning Sprint is the ideal solution. In just one high-impact, four-hour executive strategy session, our consultants work closely with your leaders to create a customized 12-month succession plan for each member of your leadership team — delivered in only 30 days. For more information, complete the form below and one of our consultants will contact you shortly.