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Executive Succession Planning

Developing a strong bench of successor candidates to fulfill the current and future needs of the organization while striving to attract, retain, develop, and engage a strong workforce that is aligned with the desired organizational culture.

Paragon's Succession Planning Process is focused on organizational strategy while also being designed to drive immediate implementation and results. Paragon's 6-Step process engages the right talent at the right time within the organization. Using Paragon's proprietary, easy-to-use tools, we can support the identification of key successors or critical roles needed to drive the organization's future growth goals, all the way through to measuring the success of the Succession Development process.

Executive Succession Planning

Common Pain Points

  • The future direction of the organization has outgrown the capabilities of current executive talent.

  • There are no obvious internal successor candidates who are "position ready."

  • The organization has had to bring back prior leaders to fill a continued leadership void.

Executive leadership
1

Identification of Strategic Leadership Behaviors

2

Identification of Critical Roles

3

Development of Critical Role Success Profiles

4

Identification of Key Successor Positions and Level of Readiness

5

Assess Alignment and Development Opportunities of Successor Candidates against Critical Success Profile

6

Measure outcomes of the Succession Planning Process as aligned with key organizational and business objectives

Frequently Asked Questions

Ideally, succession planning should be an ongoing strategic initiative — not a reaction to an unexpected vacancy. Most organizations benefit from having a 12- to 36-month horizon for developing successor candidates. Paragon helps you build a proactive plan that ensures readiness well before a critical need arises.
That's one of the most common situations we encounter. Paragon's process begins by identifying critical roles and building Success Profiles, then assessing your current talent against those profiles. From there, we help you develop internal candidates or determine where external sourcing may be needed — so you're never caught without a plan.
Readiness level describes how prepared a successor candidate is to step into a critical role. Paragon assesses readiness across multiple dimensions — leadership behaviors, technical skills, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment — and categorizes candidates as ready now, ready in 1–2 years, or in a developmental stage. This gives you a clear picture of your bench strength.
A Critical Role Success Profile outlines the leadership behaviors, technical competencies, and personality traits needed for success in a specific role — both today and as the organization evolves. Paragon develops these profiles collaboratively with your leadership team to ensure they reflect your culture, strategy, and future direction.

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