Executive succession planning has become more visible—and more scrutinized—as organizations face leadership turnover, talent shortages and increased employee expectations around career growth. Recent SHRM reporting notes that succession planning is becoming increasingly urgent as organizations navigate leadership turnover, evolving workforce expectations and long-term talent continuity.
Yet while most organizations recognize the importance of succession planning, many still struggle with how openly those plans should be communicated internally. Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank say the answer is not secrecy, but structured transparency.
From clarifying leadership criteria to creating visible development pathways, these experts explain how organizations can communicate succession plans in ways that strengthen trust, reduce workplace friction and reinforce long-term business continuity.
“People understand the pathway, trust the process and see succession as durable governance rather than political preference.”
Separate Transparency From Personal Promises
Britton Bloch, VP, Global Talent Acquisition Strategy and Head of Recruiting of Navy Federal Credit Union, says organizations create unnecessary tension when succession planning becomes overly personal or politically driven rather than process-oriented.
“Organizations should communicate succession plans by separating process transparency from person-specific disclosure,” Bloch says. “The organization can be very clear about criteria, readiness standards, decision rights, timelines and development pathways without turning succession into a public ranking exercise.”
Bloch explains that succession planning works best when employees understand the structure behind leadership development rather than viewing advancement as the result of internal negotiations or favoritism. She notes that employees are far more likely to trust the process when organizations clearly explain how leadership readiness is evaluated and how succession decisions connect to business continuity goals.
“The goal is clarity without entitlement,” Bloch says. “People understand the pathway, trust the process and see succession as durable governance rather than political preference.”
That distinction matters because many organizations unintentionally create resentment when employees perceive succession decisions as opaque or personality-driven. By focusing communication on institutional governance rather than individual promises, organizations can reduce speculation while still helping employees understand how future leadership opportunities are assessed.
Bloch also stresses that disclosure around specific successors should remain intentional and calibrated. Not every leadership discussion needs to become public knowledge, particularly when disclosure could create unnecessary competition or distract from broader organizational priorities. Instead, she encourages leaders to focus on explaining how opportunities are reviewed, validated and aligned with long-term operational stability.
This governance-first approach also creates consistency across departments and leadership levels. Employees may not always agree with decisions, but they are more likely to respect a process that feels standardized and transparent.
Focus on Career Growth, Not “Winning”
That emphasis on process transparency carries into another critical area: how organizations frame succession planning culturally.
Dr. Jonathan H. Westover—Educator, Futurist, Entrepreneur, Associate Dean of Western Governors University, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Innovations and Chief Workforce and Learning Officer of Future State University—says organizations often create tension by treating succession planning like a confidential competition rather than an enterprise-wide development strategy.
“Don’t hide succession plans—ambiguity breeds more tension than transparency,” Westover says. “Share the framework openly: what competencies matter, how decisions get made, timelines for review.”
Westover, whose consulting and coaching work through Human Capital Innovations focuses on leadership development and organizational growth, says organizations should intentionally depersonalize succession conversations. Rather than positioning succession planning around a single “heir apparent,” leaders should communicate that organizations are continuously developing multiple potential future leaders whose readiness may evolve.
“The key is depersonalizing it,” Westover says. “Present multiple potential paths, not anointed heirs. Emphasize that leadership needs evolve and today’s plan may shift.”
That flexibility matters in modern workplaces where organizational priorities, market conditions and leadership needs can change rapidly. The World Economic Forum has also highlighted succession planning as a growing business priority amid demographic shifts and leadership transitions across industries. By communicating succession planning as dynamic rather than fixed, organizations reduce the perception that decisions are permanent or exclusionary.
Westover encourages organizations to visibly invest in leadership development opportunities for a broader group of employees. When training, mentorship and advancement opportunities are widely accessible, succession planning becomes less about elite selection and more about organizational capability-building.
“Most importantly, tie succession planning to growth opportunities for everyone,” Westover says. “When people see it as ‘how we build careers’ rather than ‘who wins the throne,’ tension transforms into motivation.”
His perspective highlights an important shift occurring across many organizations: employees increasingly expect transparency around career mobility and advancement pathways. Succession planning that feels collaborative and developmental is more likely to strengthen retention and engagement than planning that feels secretive or exclusive.
“Succession planning creates tension when it lives in a black box.”
Make Leadership Expectations Visible
Transparency also extends to the qualifications and behaviors organizations expect from future leaders.
Christopher Bylone, Principal Strategist of Innovation Unbiased, says succession planning creates distrust when leadership criteria remain hidden from employees. Through his work helping organizations build more inclusive, data-informed workplace cultures, Bylone says employees become disengaged when advancement appears subjective or inaccessible.
An article from the American Psychological Association reports that employees are more engaged and motivated when organizations provide visible growth and opportunities for advancement. Bylone calls on companies to make the process fair and equitable for every person under consideration.
“Succession planning creates tension when it lives in a black box,” Bylone says. “People sense that decisions are being made about their futures without understanding the criteria and that fuels suspicion and disengagement.”
To address this, Bylone recommends organizations create public success profiles for leadership positions. These profiles should clearly outline the experiences, capabilities and behaviors employees need to demonstrate to be considered for advancement opportunities.
“Every leadership role should have a public success profile that lists the experiences, capabilities and behaviors required for consideration,” Bylone says.
That visibility allows employees to proactively manage their own development rather than relying on assumptions or informal networks. It also reinforces consistency by ensuring the same standards apply across the organization.
“When success profiles are clear and public, employees manage their careers in real time rather than guessing what advancement requires,” Bylone says. “Tension drops because the path is no longer a mystery and trust grows because the rules are the same for everyone.”
Bylone adds that organizations sometimes treat transparency as a liability when, in reality, clarity strengthens credibility and engagement.
“Transparency is not a leak in the system,” Bylone says. “It is the system.”
His comments underscore a growing expectation among employees for organizations to communicate advancement opportunities more openly. Particularly in competitive labor markets, workers increasingly want clear visibility into what leadership development looks like and how they can prepare for future roles.
“Oftentimes, there is an employee in one area who has aspirations to move to another, but no one ever asks or even knows.”
Turn Succession Planning Into a Collaborative Process
While transparency is critical, organizations also need systems that actively connect employee aspirations with leadership development opportunities.
Juanita McClure, Founder and CEO of Nona HR and Risk Consultants LLC, says organizations often overlook employees who are interested in leadership opportunities outside their current departments simply because no one formally asks about their goals.
“Make succession planning somewhat of a collaborative process with clarity of career paths,” McClure says.
Through her firm’s work helping organizations strengthen workforce strategy and risk management, McClure says HR teams can play a stronger advocacy role by proactively gathering employee career interests and coordinating with managers on development planning.
“HR could gather individual interests from employees that are kept on file and work with current department managers on creating development plans in areas of interest,” McClure says.
That approach expands the leadership pipeline while helping employees feel seen and supported rather than excluded from advancement discussions. It also allows organizations to uncover talent that may otherwise remain hidden because employees lack visibility or internal networking opportunities.
“Oftentimes, there is an employee in one area who has aspirations to move to another, but no one ever asks or even knows,” McClure says.
She also recognizes that technology can help organizations create more equitable succession planning systems. AI-enabled talent systems can help organizations identify employees who have expressed interest in certain leadership pathways and who are actively building relevant skills or experience.
“When position requisitions are opened, AI can search the database of employees who are interested and have been developing for that department or specific position,” McClure says.
Her perspective highlights how succession planning can become less reactive and more developmental when organizations intentionally create systems that align employee aspirations with future business needs.
Prioritize Fairness and Development Feedback
Even with strong frameworks and communication, succession planning can still create anxiety if employees do not receive meaningful feedback about where they stand.
Dr. Robert Satterwhite, Partner and Head of Leadership Advisory Practice of Odgers, says organizations reduce tension when they treat succession planning as an open and fair process rather than an executive-only discussion happening behind closed doors.
“Succession should be treated as a transparent process rather than a backroom decision,” Satterwhite says.
Satterwhite, whose leadership advisory work focuses on executive assessment and succession strategy, says organizations should clearly communicate evaluation criteria, assessment approaches and decision-making timelines so employees understand how advancement decisions occur.
“HR should be clear about the criteria and assessment approach as well as the timeline and how decisions get made,” Satterwhite says.
He also emphasizes that employees need genuine opportunities to compete for leadership roles and access to meaningful developmental feedback, regardless of whether they are ultimately selected.
“All leaders should be given the opportunity to compete,” Satterwhite says. “Provide real feedback and targeted development so people know where they stand and how to grow.”
That feedback component is especially important because silence often creates more frustration than difficult conversations. Employees are more likely to remain engaged when organizations invest in their growth and communicate honestly about readiness gaps or future opportunities.
“When the process is visible and fair, tension drops and trust goes up, even for those not selected,” Satterwhite says.
His comments reinforce a consistent theme across the HR Think Tank: Succession planning succeeds when organizations balance transparency, fairness and ongoing employee development rather than relying on secrecy or executive discretion alone.
Practical Leadership Lessons From HR Experts
- Separate process transparency from individual disclosure. Employees are more likely to trust succession planning when organizations clearly explain leadership criteria, readiness standards and governance processes without creating public ranking systems.
- Frame succession planning as career development. Position leadership planning as an ongoing investment in employee growth rather than a competition centered around a single successor.
- Create visible leadership success profiles. Publicly outlining the experiences, capabilities and behaviors required for leadership roles helps employees proactively manage their development.
- Build collaborative talent pathways. HR teams can strengthen succession pipelines by regularly gathering employee career interests and connecting them with targeted development opportunities.
- Provide honest feedback and equal opportunity. Employees remain more engaged when organizations communicate clearly about assessment criteria, readiness gaps and future growth opportunities.
Building Trust Into the Future of Leadership Planning
As organizations continue navigating leadership turnover, workforce shifts and evolving employee expectations, succession planning will increasingly shape workplace culture and retention—not just executive continuity. The organizations that communicate these plans effectively will likely be the ones that build stronger trust, deeper engagement and more resilient leadership pipelines.
Members of the HR Think Tank make one point especially clear: succession planning creates less tension when employees understand the process, see equitable opportunities for growth and trust that leadership decisions are grounded in transparent, consistent standards rather than politics or personal preference.
