The Succession Planning Illusion: What your leadership pipeline isn’t telling you.
Warren Buffett recently announced his resignation as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, marking the end of a legendary tenure. And not surprisingly, Buffett planned his exit the way he built his empire: deliberately.
But most organizations? Their succession plans aren’t deliberate. They’re convenient. Predictable. And far too often, exclusive.
This moment is more than just a corporate headline. It’s a mirror. Because while the world watches who replaces Buffett, every executive leader should be asking: Who gets considered, who never stood a chance, and why?
High Potential or Just High Proximity?
Succession planning doesn’t fail because companies ignore talent. It fails because “potential” gets redefined by proximity.
Let’s call it what it is. The ones who often get tapped are the ones who already had access. The ones who seem ready are often the ones who look familiar. The ones who often get mentored are the ones who were seen early. When access defines potential, you’re not identifying readiness. You’re replicating bias and often it is unconscious bias.
You don’t need another talent review. You need independent, evidence-based assessments of potential. You need audits of opportunity and visibility, not just demographic metrics. And above all, you need the courage to ask who’s not on the slate and why? Until that happens, succession planning won’t be a lever for the future. It will be a mirror of the past.
The Cost of Overlooking Unconventional Talent
When organizations overlook unconventional talent, they don’t just lose diversity. They lose innovation, agility, and opportunities for growth. They build leadership teams that are solid, but sometimes not exceptional.
And they send a clear message to high performers outside the circle: proximity matters more than performance. The result? Employees disengage. Employees opt out. And eventually, employees leave or quiet quit. That’s not just a retention issue. That’s opportunity cost.
When organizations miss a billion-dollar mind
These aren’t motivational stories. They’re business case studies in missed opportunity.
Sara Blakely
Sara Blakely wasn’t a traditional leadership candidate. She sold fax machines door to door, far from the visibility of any C-suite grooming track. But she had grit. She had insight. And she had an idea no one else could see. She didn’t disrupt a category. She created a new one.
When her environment failed to recognize her potential or align her role with her capabilities, she built Spanx from $5,000 of her savings. Today, it’s a global brand. The companies she worked for didn’t just lose talent. They lost the chance to back a billion-dollar mind.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah was fired from a newsroom job and told she wasn’t right for television. No succession plan had her name on it. No executive team saw her as the future. So she built it herself.
She didn’t just outperform the system. She redefined it. She wasn’t invited to the boardroom. She bought the building. She manufactured the table. She built the blueprint. And the industry, the one that saw no place for her, had no choice but to follow.
What Your Succession Plan Is Still Missing
The next time someone says, “She’s not high potential,” ask why. If the answer is vague, such as:
“She’s just not ready,”
“There’s something about her,”
“I can’t quite explain it”
Then, what you’re hearing isn’t evaluation. It’s preference. And, when that preference drives leadership decisions, here’s what you’re really saying:
“We’d rather play it safe than be exceptional.”
“We’re comfortable replicating, not innovating.”
“We’ll accept steady, even if it costs us scale.”
That’s not just bias. It’s negligence.
Your Move: A Call to Action
If you’re serious about future-proofing your leadership pipeline, start here:
Audit your last five succession slates
Assess who was passed over? Who wasn’t even considered? That’s where the leak starts.Review how visibility is earned
Determine whether stretch opportunities, mentorship, and feedback are distributed equitably, and how those decisions are made.Challenge every “not ready” assessment
Consider if the judgment is based on data or personal comfort?Stop confusing familiarity with readiness
Remember, if everyone looks the same, thinks the same, and comes from the same places, your pipeline isn’t high potential. It’s high repetition.
Succession planning should elevate what’s next, not echo what’s always been. Your next competitive advantage is likely already in the building. Maybe you're just not looking at them.