You should think about it when You’re dependent on a few key individuals to drive critical outcomes Leadership transitions feel risky—or are avoided altogether High-potential talent exists, but there’s no structured way to grow or deploy them Promotions are based on performance, but not readiness for larger roles You’re hiring externally for leadership roles that could have been built internally Successors are “identified” on paper, but not actually ready Leaders are strong functionally, but struggle with scale, cross-functional influence, or ambiguity Growth plans are ahead of leadership capability Development initiatives exist, but aren’t translating into stronger leadership bench strength If left unaddressed
