2009 AHIMT Conference Succession Planning – What happens when you retire?
Mar 26, 2015
2009 AHIMT ConferenceSuccession Planning – What happens when you retire?
Team succession planning is key at all levels
Is it really true that we are all expendable?Many organizations find that they are
unprepared for a leadership changeThis can lead to the boss feeling compelled to
stay, with potentially damaging resultsA well-functioning team has planned for the
inevitable changes that the future will bring
Team succession planning is key at all levels
Regardless of the method of team selection, succession planning (from top down) and sustainable funding are the lifeblood of the longevity and effectiveness of the team
Identifying the needs, procedures and best practices
for succession planning1. Clear understanding of team structure and
function2. Team roles and responsibilities clearly laid out3. Involve Section Chiefs4. Performance requirements5. Cast a wide net6. Careful consideration of each candidate7. Provide adequate support and opportunities
1. Clear understanding of team structure and
functionIt doesn’t matter which structure you use. Just make sure
it fits your needs.Ask:
Who are our customers? Local jurisdiction, county, region, state
What is our mission? Do we have alternatives (other type 3 or type 1 and 2 teams) Are we a local agency team? If so, how do we get and keep
experience?How do we finance our team after start up?
Grant funding, agencies, subscription, feesWhere do team members come from?
Agency, multi-jurisdictional, region, private/public, state and federal
2. Team roles and responsibilities clearly
laid outRetention and advancement within the team is
enhanced when members up and down the chain contribute regularlyAdministrative tasks can overwhelm the 20% and
marginalize the 80%Mentoring is more effective when there is are
clearly defined roles and responsibilitiesBy creating opportunities for input, members are
engaged and encouraged to not only succeed, but move up within the team
3. Involve Section ChiefsA key element of succession planning is an
understanding by the team leadership of the skills, knowledge, abilities AND; most importantly, the desires of section membersSection Chiefs are positioned to mentor, assess and
motivate members to achieve their current position as well as to recommend new trainee positions
The workload assigned to section chiefs provides the IC the opportunity to do the same as they evaluate their performance
4. Have performance requirements
The ability to deliver as a team keeps the IC up at night!A significant investment is made to staff and equip teams
and the stakeholders have high expectations of performance
Type 3 events are few and far between, or as Gordon Graham would say, “low frequency, high risk”; so we have to find ways to keep in practice. Consider planned events
Performance requirements ensure and engaged team, as well as a tool for team selection and retention
Don’t keep names on a roster for name’s sake, your good performers will suffer
5. Cast a wide netDiversity strengthens the all hazard team
Ensure good representation of all disciplines
Try to mix up team membership so you have deployable resources from a number of sources
Have a good PR methodGain support from senior stakeholders
6. Careful consideration of each candidate
Team membership selection is a key piece of succession planningAppointment to team is a privilege, not a rightHave a clear, consistent recruitment standardRequire ANNUAL re-application
Failure to do this will kill your team over time This reinforces performance standards and provides
objective methods to remove non-producers Don’t be bullied into taking a candidate
7. Provide adequate support and opportunities
Care and feeding of the team requires time and resourcesEnsure a funding stream to provide ongoing training as a team
Send people to position-specific trainingParticipate in shadowing/training assignments and push PTB completion (we require two signatures per task)
NWIMT ApproachThe model we chose works well for us, but is only
one of many ways for team structureWe took 2 years in planning and organizationNWIMT serves a 5 – county region between Seattle
and Canada and is the first-due IMT for the 2010 Olympics if there is an event on the U.S. side of the border
We have a 9-member independent Board with one member from each discipline and are an independent municipal corporation so we can receive funds and grants directly
Incident Commander B. BoydT. Gates
Plans Section ChiefA. Day
B. HolsteinB. Reading
Operations Section ChiefC. AndersenE. Andrews
Logistics Section ChiefS. Guptill
P. McIntyre
Public Information OfficerL. HynesR. Sucee
Resource Unit Leader E. Klinefelter
C. MaroteJ. Napier (T)
Resource Check-inH. AndersonM. Deyerin
Situation Unit LeaderM. AlmvigE. Thomas
G. Duranceau (T)
Deputy OPSS. Mason
S. RossmillerC. Steichen
Division/GroupLocal and/orMobilizationResources
Deputy ICB. McBaneG. Shand
Policy Group (Board)
Liaison OfficerM. Campbell
B. Cowan
Safety OfficerS. Glowaski
R. Gray
Finance Section ChiefR. Anda
L. Rubstello
GISS. CarsonK. SecrestA. Stark (T)
L. Yengoyan (T)
Deputy LSCD. BondD. Good
D. Halloran (T)
Comm. Unit Leader B. HanesM. Voss
NWIMT Master Roster 1/13/0934 Members + Trainees
NWIMT ApproachTwo standing teams, on
weekly rotation, with trainees
Board appoints IC’s, confirms Deputy IC’s
IC’s appoint all membersAnnual application Team training quarterly with
a requirement of 2 per yearActive trainee programMember of state mobilization
plan
One IC handles trainingOnce IC coordinates other
team functionsOperating Committee (10) Fully self-contained plans,
logistics and satellite comm. trailers support team
17 positions per standing team plus trainees
Interlocal agreement with annual dues .05/capita or by budget for special districts
NWIMT ApproachWe owe our success to the hard work and vision of
a core group who sacrificed expediency for longevityOur team has been blessed with the opportunity to
deploy 15+ times in the last 3 years, which creates excitement and capability
We also owe a debt to the Jefferson County, Co. team who shared everything they had, and we would be happy to do the same.
Our website has lots of information at www.nwimt.org
NWIMT ApproachThe model we chose works well for us, but is only
one of many ways for team structureWe took 2 years in planning and organizationNWIMT serves a 5 – county region between Seattle
and Canada and is the first-due IMT for the 2010 Olympics if there is an event on the U.S. side of the border
We have a 9-member independent Board with one member from each discipline and are an independent municipal corporation so we can receive funds and grants directly
Questions??