Succession

​I am reading a book at the moment I am really enjoying.  In it, there is a statement I feel is very applicable by adding one word.
It stated, “there is no success until there is a successful succession.”  The one word I word add for some circumstances is ongoing.  “There is no ongoing success until there is a successful succession.”
The reason I add the word is that some businesses are not started with a view to handing on.  Success in business to me is defined as having enough or more than enough to provide for oneself and loved ones.  The business is deemed a success if it has provided for immediate needs.
There are businesses though which need to be handed over.  Success is measured not only in terms of immediate success but generational success.  I thought it was so right in the government to put someone on for six months to give them a trial.
To me success is not about filling a position but filling a position with the right person.  The first person to say they are available may not be the best for the job.  It is my contention it is better to have no one then the wrong one.  A full roster may look good, but if it is a full roster of the wrong people then a lot of damage can be done.
For short term roles the damaged can be contained.  For long term roles the wrong person can be the undoing of the business.  (I have read about the actions of one person meaning the demise of a company that had survived for generations)
Handing over is not easy.  I would like to partially quote a paragraph from the book I have been reading. “I was surprised to discover how deeply my sense of identity was rooted in my role as a leader.  The daily round of meetings, the responsibilities, the business and the opportunities.  Frankly (and I’m embarrassed to admit this) without a title I felt insecure.”
I guess it rang a bell with me as I see it so often in aging people.  The lack of desire to let go.  To me that is understandable, but it must occur.  The thing is, I personally would not want it to happen, without at least the beginnings of a successful succession plan.
No person is indispensable, but the right person to take someone’s place is vital in the heath of any organization.   For leadership, the right person spells success, while the wrong person spells disaster.