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Succession planning is vital new skill for physician executives. (Leading Questions).

Article Excerpt
Succession planning is becoming a vital new skill for physician executives, one that many hiring organizations now expect to see exemplified in your management career.

Having an organizational perspective and being able to mentor others are now viewed as significant proofs of leadership in today's health care marketplace. Yes, this is yet another unexpected demand on your abilities and talents--that's management for you!

In the strictest sense, succession planning is the orderly, carefully staged process by which the most senior executives and leaders of an organization are replaced when their time has come. Shelves in business school libraries contain many volumes that explore the nuances of succession planning, and specialist consultants are ready to advise organizations at the drop of a business card. A lot of effort is required to ensure that leadership replacement is seen as a smooth, seamless transition.

But succession planning is more than merely the infrequent, esoteric invocation of the loss of the key leader. It's an important executive skill that provides for the development and replacement of other important (if lesser-known) positions throughout the organization.

Anyone who has suffered the loss of the top information systems person, or tried to quickly identify a radiology department administrator or...