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bench-strength-and-succession

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Use this skill when a CEO, CRO, sales leader, board, or PE operating partner needs to know whether the team could survive the loss of a key person, who is ready to step up, and what to do about the gaps. Produces a critical-role bench scorecard with single points of failure, an evidence-based performance and potential map, readiness calls for every successor, emergency coverage plans, and a talent review run with bias controls. Use it for "bench strength", "succession plan", "talent review", "9-box", "who replaces our VP Sales", "key-person risk", "are we too dependent on one rep", "high-potential list", or "board wants a succession plan".

skills/jason-mesiarik/bench-strength-and-succession/SKILL.md

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Applies to any team with at least one role the business cannot afford to lose. Produces a bench scorecard, a performance and potential map, succession plans, and a talent review outcome.

**The doctrine:** succession asks who can do the next job. Bench strength proves it before you need them. A résumé only proves what someone did in the last system. A succession plan is a development plan with names attached, built years before the vacancy, and potential is a claim that needs evidence.

## The sequence

1. **Name the critical roles and scan the horizon.** A role is critical if losing its holder would put a quarter's number, a top customer, or a key capability at risk within 90 days. Include the leader's own role. Then scan 18 to 24 months ahead: announced transitions, flight risk, and promotions that will open seats. Read `references/bench-scorecard.md`.
2. **Score the bench.** For each critical role: how many qualified backfills, how soon each is ready, and whether the incumbent is a single point of failure. Compute the aggregate bench score.
3. **Assess performance with evidence.** Results against target, quality of results, and how they were produced. No placement without data.
4. **Assess potential with evidence.** Four signals: learning speed, aspiration, the altitude the person already operates at, and whether others get better around them. Read `references/potential-and-readiness.md`.
5. **Map and decide readiness.** Place people on the performance and potential grid as a conversation tool, then make a readiness call for each successor: ready now, ready in 12 months, ready in 24 months, or not a successor for this role.
6. **Run the talent review.** Independent pre-scoring, evidence on the table, bias checks, and decisions with owners. Read `references/talent-review.md`.
7. **Write the plans.** For each critical role: interim cover, short-term backfill, permanent successor and development plan, and the trigger for an external hire. Build readiness through real cross-functional work, not classroom development. When the plan calls for an outside hire, raise the evidence standard: test whether past success transfers to this operating system. Read `references/succession-plans.md`.
8. **Review quarterly.** Re-score the bench, update readiness, and measure in three tiers: actions taken, coverage and readiness moving, and outcomes when transitions happen.
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