“Hey, where’s Rita? She was supposed to be here at 8 am. She’s never late.”
Nobody seemed to know where she was, so you call her at home, and the phone finally picks up.
“Hello,” a raspy voice answers. “I’m sorry, but I just feel terrible today. I’ve been meaning to call, but I could barely get out of bed.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry to hear that. We’ll send someone over to help you.”
“No, no, my son will come soon. I’ll try my best to be there on Tuesday.”
The last time Rita, your financial controller, missed a day, you can’t even recall. She’s been loyal for over twenty-five years, and you’ve always thought of her as irreplaceable.
Just a few weeks ago, you were thinking, “I wonder when Rita’s going to want to call it quits. She has a new grandchild and I’d want to be with my family more if I were her. But she just keeps on going. She is so devoted to her work.”
Tuesday came, and Rita was out again. Wednesday, the same. By Friday, you stopped expecting her. The doctors said she needed to take a few more weeks off to rest but could return to work then.
Often, we think about a business’s reliance on their founder. But within each organization are pivotal roles, ones that are often overlooked when it comes to succession planning.
Are these roles well-documented? Could a new controller step in to pick up the slack if Rita has to take leave, or if she decides to retire?
You recall a conversation with her during her last annual review, and you asked her how much longer she was planning to work. She said, “Well, I’d love to work another 5 years, but honestly, boss, I’m not really sure I’ll be able to.”
At that point, you thought about bringing on a new controller and having Rita train this individual, but you couldn’t rationalize it financially. Surely, Rita would be able to work at least a few more years, so why not delay the expense and deal with it later?
Later sometimes comes sooner.
The upfront expenses of bringing on someone new while the current person is still in the role might seem redundant, but consider whether your business can run without that key person.
You got so used to them showing up all these years, always on time. They barely took vacations, and you didn’t question them. After all, their steady presence is part of what got you here.
A month later, and you get the call from Rita. She’ll be back on Monday morning.
You clear your schedule, and set a meeting with her first thing. “Welcome back, Rita, we’re so happy to have you here. I’m surprised we were able to stay afloat. But look, I’ve been reflecting and I think it’s time to bring in another controller, if you’re willing to train them.”
Rita starts crying, and you’re initially taken aback. But then a smile breaks through. “I never thought you’d mention this, boss. I felt so guilty about leaving here without someone to replace me. I would be honored to train them as long as you need me.”
Turns out, you weren’t the only one who’d been waiting.