18469_Authority_June

municipalauthorities.org | 19 dies ng Personal. Powerful. Professional. 215.661.0400 • www.HRMML.com I t H as t o B e C lean Today, the challenges of providing clean water and managing wastewater are greater than ever before. For over 40 years, municipal authorities throughout Pennsylvania have turned to Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin for our counsel in navigating ever-changing regulations, guiding transactions and advocating on their behalf. We do this because in everything you do, it has to be clean. For further information, contact Steven A. Hann (SHann@HRMML.com ) PMAA East Region Solicitor 215.661.0400 A succession plan looks like this: POSITION INCUMBENT READY NOW READY 1-2 YEARS READY 3-5 YEARS Executive Director John Richards Ron Starr Paul Jagger Finance Director Keith McCartney Operations Leader George Watts Paul Jagger Chief Operator Charlie Lennon Richard Wood Complicated, right? You list the positions in your plan, the people in those roles today, and then you ask the big question: If each of these people got hit by the proverbial bus, who do we have who could fill that role right now? How about in one to two years? How about in three to five? Notice a few things about our example above (other than the pop culture references in the names). First, most of the boxes aren’t filled. The top job names no one as ready now, but two people could do the job in out years. The second role has no successor identified at all. Is that bad? Not necessarily. The point is not to fill boxes, it’s to identify strengths and vulnerabilities. Few organizations can afford ready-now backups for every key role, especially senior ones. If our sample finance person is mid-40s, been around for 10 years and a low flight risk, then finding a successor right now may not be a priority. But if that Executive Director is 63 and developing health problems? Then that empty “Ready Now” box requires conversation. It doesn’t dictate recruiting a job-ready successor now, but it does mean the identified successors demand attention (more on that shortly). Notice also that some people might appear more than once. The Operations Leader has a successor considered ready now, and the same person is named a possible successor to the Executive Director in three to five years. Continued on page 42.