Succession Planning For Union Leadership IAFF 7 th District Vice President Ricky J. Walsh & WSCFF 4 th District Rep Dennis J. Lawson.

Succession Succession Planning For Planning For

Union LeadershipUnion Leadership

IAFF 7th District Vice President Ricky J. Walsh&

WSCFF 4th District Rep Dennis J. Lawson

•The importance of a Strategic Plan•What Is Mentoring?•What’s in it for you? •The union?•Where to begin?

Workshop Objectives

Strategic Planning Is:Strategic Planning Is:

The process of setting long-term policies for an organization with benchmarks (goals) to measure success

History of Strategic PlanningHistory of Strategic Planning

•Applied by businesses after WWII•Adopted by parts of Gov’t in 1960’s•First used by labor in 1980’s for Organizing•Clerical Workers at Harvard•Farm Labor Organizing Committee• UAW and the Saturn Automobile

•We must plan to survive

InvolvementInvolvement?

•How many of you have been involved in Strategic Planning?•Fire Department•Union•Family

Successful StrategicPlanning InvolvesInvolves

•Adjusting to Changing Environments•Responding to Your Membership•Building a Supportive Structure•Evaluation and Refinement

StrategicStrategic Planning

•Should…•Be a Formal Process•Result in a Written Document•Include Short-term and Long-term Goals•Pro-active but can be reactive to identified examples of the past or current situations or environments

Questions for your strategic planning process

•Where do we want to go or what do we want to look like?•Assess our present philosophy•Assess our present reputation

•How do we get there?•Set priorities•Goals and Objectives•Assess present resource allocation

Can we agree that?Can we agree that?

•The work as a Union Officer is real work.•That Unions are a form of a business.•We, as individuals, will not always be here. Yes we will all go away at some time.

Can we agreeagree that?

•Our profession is changing•How people view us, both internally and externally, may not be what we think.•Our opposition (name a few) view us a formal threat. They have adjusted their business models to reflect our existence and are working to see our extinction

Case Study: United Parcel ServiceCase Study: United Parcel Service

Bloomberg•At so many companies these days, succession has an element of crisis, but it never has at UPS and probably never will.” Jeff Sonnfiled Yale School of Managment

Case Study: Coca-ColaCase Study: Coca-Cola

Atlanta Journal

•“We are fortunate that Coca-Cola system has a talented and diverse senior management team around the world, laying the foundation for strong leadership and management continuity for years to come. These executives are leading our operating businesses across the world and are part of building our longer term leadership pipeline.”

Case Study:Case Study: MicrosoftMicrosoft

Tim Brugger (The Motley Fool)

•“…..shareholders want someone who will light a fire under what had become a stagnant company.”

Case Study: Ford Motor Co.Case Study: Ford Motor Co.

New York Times

•“Ford Motor Company takes succession planning very seriously , and we have succession plans in place for each of our key leadership positions” Ray Davis (VP of Communications)

What is leadership Succession What is leadership Succession Planning?Planning?

•Succession planning is about ensuring that the next line of leaders is in place, ready to take the next step when needed.•A few reasons why a vacancy can take place;•Death or serious injury/illness•Voluntary departure (Retirement, does not seek re-election)•Involuntary departure (not re-elected)•New positions within organization

Growing Your Future LeadersGrowing Your Future Leaders

•Preparing members for future leadership roles consist of two activities;

Planning and Development (Mentoring)

Planning includes the followingPlanning includes the following

•Identifying members who show potential•Determine their strengths and areas that need improvement•Plan to address needs•Build upon their strengths

Development / MentoringDevelopment / Mentoring

•This is more than training•Stretch experiences•Deal with actual events, hardships, and conflict•Identify goals that are reasonable but challenging•If possible spend time shadowing •Openly discuss lessons learned (new and old)

What is Mentoring?What is Mentoring?

For the individual:•A relationship between a “mentor (teacher) and a mentee (learner, protégé)•Relationship is devoted to developing knowledge and skills for union activism

What it’s NotWhat it’s Not

•Does not guarantee advancement•Won’t give you “inside information”•Can’t stand alone: needs to be part of a broader union commitment to education, leadership development

Why Do Unions Need Mentoring?Why Do Unions Need Mentoring?

•Makes union stronger over time •Gives seasoned activists feedback from less seasoned members•A two way street (information often goes in both ways) so more seasoned can get info, too•Increases union solidarity•Creates new activists•What else?

What’s in it for the Mentor?What’s in it for the Mentor?

•Gain a sense of satisfaction from helping others•Learn from mentees; skills, style etc…•Develop own communication skills•Learn to effectively give and receive feedback•Can learn more about the job/function•Re-energizes work

What’s in it for the Mentee?What’s in it for the Mentee?

• Helps develop skills• Helps understand how the union

works• Hopefully learns not to make the same

mistakes• Helps to avoid political pitfalls• Can increase commitment to the union

Informal/FormalInformal/Formal

•Formal: Structured (planned, guidelines, rules)•Informal: Accidental

Unions historically tend to have informal mentoring programs

Formal MentoringFormal Mentoring

Union sets up and oversees the program with some of these components:

•How often mentor and mentee meet•How long mentoring will formally last•Keeps track of program, successes

Informal MentoringInformal Mentoring

•Relationship and process developed by two people involved•Some people do it without even knowing it is taking place•Relationship has little or no guidance from the union•Drawback: Doesn’t reach everybody•Perceived by group as a form of favoritism

Formal Mentoring, LimitationsFormal Mentoring, Limitations

•Is the match working?•Establishing trust can be difficult between two people who don’t choose each other•Guidelines can limit flexibility

Kinds of MentoringKinds of Mentoring

•Traditional•Peer•Mentoring Circles

Traditional MentoringTraditional Mentoring

•More experienced union member serving as mentor and less experienced member as mentee•Knowledge primarily is expected to flow from the top-down, but, in a good mentoring relationship knowledge and communications flow two ways.

Peer MentoringPeer Mentoring

•Takes place between members doing similar union jobs•Set up to learn from each other•Can offer a different perspective •Provides a safe space for talking, sharing experiences •Needs to be brutality honest•Progress should be evaluated

Group MentoringGroup Mentoring

•Group meets regularly over a period of time•One mentor and a group of mentees•Learning from one or multiple mentors•Problems?

Internal/ExternalInternal/External

•Most unions use internal process– mentors and mentees are in the same union, same local•External might be useful for learning particular skills, especially if you cannot identify people internally who can teach a particular skill/s. Mentor might come from another local, another level of the union

•Before Starting a Program…Before Starting a Program…

Important questions to answerImportant questions to answer:

•Does my local need a mentoring program?•Is yes, what would its goals be?

Important QuestionsImportant Questions

•Who might be the mentees (be specific)?•Who might be the mentors (be specific)?

Selection ProcessSelection Process

•Identify which positions will be addressed•Agree on the functions of the position (C&B’s, Policies etc.)•Determine who should be considered.•Does everyone have a chance?•Will involvement carry weight?•What other deciding factors?

More Important QuestionsMore Important Questions

• Who are the people in the union who need to ok the program?

• How can you reach these people? • What do you need to say to win them

over?• Which type of mentoring program

might be best for your union?

Even More QuestionsEven More Questions

•Where will mentoring sessions take place?•How long will the program run•Time commitment of mentors/mentees?•How can union free up time?•Budget process

ChallengesChallenges

•Making time•Generational differences•Gender differences•Racial/ethnic differences

Any Questions?Any Questions?

Thank you for your time.