In every great story – whether in a sci-fi show, your firm, or your close-knit circle – there comes the inevitable moment when your leader or captain “leaves the bridge.” Captain Kirk died in multiple timelines, Captain Picard retired from Starfleet, and in the real world, we experience it when a managing partner retires, a leader seeks new opportunities, or through a sudden loss of a valuable team member, friend, or family member. The loss of an influential leader is a defining moment and comes with a heavy weight of emotions ranging from sadness to uncertainty, the fear of change or instability, and the ever-present questions or thoughts about what now or how do we carry on?
The answer isn’t always who is next in line, finding the perfect replacement in the former captain’s image, or quitting the mission to go a different way. Instead, the answer lies amid feelings of grief and growth – created from the legacy, culture, resilience, and generosity of the departed captain.
Missions Outlast Captains
In Star Trek, the leadership isn’t a “one man show.” While even the most non-Trekkie person has heard of the infamous Captain Kirk, there was also Captain Christopher Pike, Captain Jonathan Archer, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Even still, the starship didn’t fall apart throughout the many leadership transitions because it had a strong mission that guided captains and crew members alike: “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no [one] has gone before.”
Too often, starships, firms, or organizations are built around a personality or special chemistry partners bring and when a captain leaves, that culture or special chemistry can disappear with them. But when we intentionally document the starship’s mission, share it broadly and transparently, and build systems around that shared mission, new captains and crew members can carry on and steer the ship confidently.
Is your mission or purpose written down? Is it inspiring? Does it describe the difference you aim to make? Is it providing a guide for future captains or crew members to answer the question “why are we here?” If the answer is no, NOW is the time to revisit your current mission and revise it or write a new one. Do it now before the captain leaves the bridge.
“The Needs of the Many…”
You’ve probably heard the iconic phrase spoken by Spock in Star Trek, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…” While Spock loses his life to save the lives of the crew, it wasn’t about him wanting to be a hero. Instead, it goes down in Star Trek history as the constant reminder that leadership isn’t about ONE person, but about something much bigger – the mission.
Succession planning should be carried out in the same spirit. Ultimately you can’t control what happens when the captain leaves the bridge. So, minimize the worry about unchecked egos, status, or titles by focusing on the people, the mission, and future of your organization when planning for succession.
Captains Develop More Captains
If you have read any of my previous Star Trek/Star Wars themed blogs, you know one of my all-time favorite Captains in ANY universe (real or fictional) is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. He is calm, understanding, vulnerable, decisive, plays the flute, and has been known to defy authority when necessary. Above all else, he influences, shapes, and elevates his crew to become more. He doesn’t hoard leadership. He shares it, invites his crew to lead, and welcomes them on the bridge.
At ConvergenceCoaching, we sometimes see leaders and organizations hold power, leadership, and decisions close to their chest or centralize it to one person. This causes the change of captains to be rushed, painful, expensive, or a detrimental crisis that can’t be easily remedied. Provide your people at all levels coaching and development opportunities and empower them so succession isn’t a one-time event but becomes a constant, ever-present growth process and leads to the development of future captains. As Jack Lee wrote in our Inspired Ideas blog, “There is no success without succession” and it shouldn’t wait until you receive the news of the loss of a captain.
“The Captain is Gone”
And in that moment, when the captain is gone, everything changes. In the Star Trek movie, Star Trek Generations, Captain Kirk dies on duty. And while the moment was heroic and inevitable, viewers and crew members are shocked, full of emotions, and faced with worries and fears like “Who are we?” or “How do we move forward without our captain?”
In real life, a loss of leader can happen suddenly or could have been foreseen for years. Even still, people will have feelings of loss, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future. Plan for both the expected and unexpected loss of your captain and draft interim guidelines or procedures with instructions on what to do in certain situations. I get it, it is uncomfortable. But having the interim plan provides your crew and future captain with a guidebook to get through the shock and anxiety of the change.
And, when it does happen, take time to acknowledge the feelings – not just with a retirement party or press release, but with stories, catchphrases, laughing and reflecting, and, perhaps most importantly, inviting the former captain’s vision for what’s next.
The Final Frontier
After all is said and done, succession isn’t just about the day your captain leaves the bridge for the last time but about the crew growing and honoring those who came before. It is about recognizing the captains in our own lives – whether it is a character on a show, a family member, firm founder or leader, or long-time coach – and using their example to create our own legacies, leading with intention.
On this May the Forth, I hope you “Make it so,”
Emily
