A funny thing is happening among senior leadership teams in health systems (and other sectors as well). More and more clients are telling us that multiple members of their senior leadership teams, starting with the CEO on down, could retire if they wanted to. Then they are quick to say “But of course, no one has any immediate plans to retire,--and that’s a good thing because we really don’t have any real successors.” That statement is often followed by some nervous laughter, and maybe someone muttering “We really need to do something about a succession plan.” Then it’s usually onto the next subject.
