Head: (5 of 5)
Heart: (2 of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (4 of 5)

This article provides information to organizational leaders on what it takes to effectively develop the future leaders of the company. It is based on the premise that in order to maximize resources already invested in succession planning and leadership development, there needs to be a stronger link between the two traditionally separate functions. The authors, Conger and Fulmer, have coined the integration of the two concepts as "succession management." To make the succession plan more useful and accurate for the future needs of the organization, it must be combined with resources available in the leadership development function to address the development needs of the company's future leaders. As the authors uncovered in their research with companies such as Eli Lilly, Bank of America, and Dow Chemicals, it is important to make sure the succession plan is a useful and accurate reflection of the talent pool. As such, there must be targeted development efforts that will challenge the executives to be more rounded in their abilities.

The strength of the article lies in the 5 rules the authors recommend in order to effectively combine the two functions of succession planning and leadership development. For example, Rule #1 states that the company needs to focus on the actual development needs of the people whose names appear on the succession planning list. This refers to leveraging educational training events only when appropriate. That is, instead of sending the future leaders to training courses that have little bearing on the real corporate experience, train these leaders on the job. Put future leaders into experiences that encourage them to develop skills beyond their current function, from sales into operations, for instance. Although Rule #1 may sound rudimentary, it is often not practiced as evidenced by the authors' research. The five rules will help leadership teams get clear on what needs to be in place to effectively develop the future leaders of the company. Buy it at Harvard Business Review.