Succession planning and mentorship go hand in hand. That is the view of local business leaders from diverse industries.
Developing leaders takes time. But actions taken today ensure a smooth succession — according to a recent conversation held by Pacific Business News at the Women Winning in Business Panel.
Takeaways from the discussion ranged from experiences starting the succession planning process to what it’s like to be on the successor end.
Hina Schipa Chow, owner of Buck Roofing Company, spoke about the sudden passing of her father. She said she was left without much of a plan when taking over the family business. She added, “[I’m] starting to get my wheels turning on what can I do and who should I start finding, especially for my two daughters, if that’s something that they want to do.”
Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau’s Karen Wataru Nakaoka said, for succession planning, “If you’re not thinking about it, be thinking about it now.” She also recommended taking immediate action.
On mentorship, Sarah Guay of the Hawaii Employers Council said, “The challenge of mentorship is many of us feel like we don’t have anything to offer yet,” but that is not necessarily true. She said there is somebody “in this universe, who absolutely needs you.”
Karen Seddon of EAH Housing said the best way to get comfortable in mentoring is practice.
“You’ll be growing them, and it’s a reward back to yourself because when you’re teaching people, you learn at the same time, so it’s a two-way street,” Seddon said.
For Crystal Rose, partner at the law firm Lung Rose Voss Wagnild, mentoring is critical, as well as training associates to take on managing roles.
“You can’t have a succession plan if you don’t look at the people who can take your job,” Seddon said.
