2009 AHIMT Conference Succession Planning – What happens when you retire?

Team succession planning is key at all levels Is it really true that we are all expendable? Many organizations find that they are unprepared for a leadership change This can lead to the boss feeling compelled to stay, with potentially damaging results A well-functioning team has planned for the inevitable changes that the future will bring

Team succession planning is key at all levels Regardless of the method of team selection, succession planning (from top down) and sustainable funding are the lifeblood of the longevity and effectiveness of the team

Identifying the needs, procedures and best practices for succession planning 1. Clear understanding of team structure and function 2. Team roles and responsibilities clearly laid out 3. Involve Section Chiefs 4. Performance requirements 5. Cast a wide net 6. Careful consideration of each candidate 7. Provide adequate support and opportunities

1. Clear understanding of team structure and function It doesnt matter which structure you use. Just make sure it fits your needs. Ask: Who are our customers? Local jurisdiction, county, region, state What is our mission? Do we have alternatives (other type 3 or type 1 and 2 teams) Are we a local agency team? If so, how do we get and keep experience? How do we finance our team after start up? Grant funding, agencies, subscription, fees Where do team members come from? Agency, multi-jurisdictional, region, private/public, state and federal

2. Team roles and responsibilities clearly laid out Retention and advancement within the team is enhanced when members up and down the chain contribute regularly Administrative tasks can overwhelm the 20% and marginalize the 80% Mentoring is more effective when there is are clearly defined roles and responsibilities By creating opportunities for input, members are engaged and encouraged to not only succeed, but move up within the team

3. Involve Section Chiefs A key element of succession planning is an understanding by the team leadership of the skills, knowledge, abilities AND; most importantly, the desires of section members Section Chiefs are positioned to mentor, assess and motivate members to achieve their current position as well as to recommend new trainee positions The workload assigned to section chiefs provides the IC the opportunity to do the same as they evaluate their performance

4. Have performance requirements The ability to deliver as a team keeps the IC up at night! A significant investment is made to staff and equip teams and the stakeholders have high expectations of performance Type 3 events are few and far between, or as Gordon Graham would say, low frequency, high risk; so we have to find ways to keep in practice. Consider planned events Performance requirements ensure and engaged team, as well as a tool for team selection and retention Dont keep names on a roster for names sake, your good performers will suffer

5. Cast a wide net Diversity strengthens the all hazard team Ensure good representation of all disciplines Try to mix up team membership so you have deployable resources from a number of sources Have a good PR method Gain support from senior stakeholders

6. Careful consideration of each candidate Team membership selection is a key piece of succession planning Appointment to team is a privilege, not a right Have a clear, consistent recruitment standard Require ANNUAL re-application Failure to do this will kill your team over time This reinforces performance standards and provides objective methods to remove non-producers Dont be bullied into taking a candidate

7. Provide adequate support and opportunities Care and feeding of the team requires time and resources Ensure a funding stream to provide ongoing training as a team Send people to position-specific training Participate in shadowing/training assignments and push PTB completion (we require two signatures per task)

NWIMT Approach The model we chose works well for us, but is only one of many ways for team structure We took 2 years in planning and organization NWIMT serves a 5 – county region between Seattle and Canada and is the first-due IMT for the 2010 Olympics if there is an event on the U.S. side of the border We have a 9-member independent Board with one member from each discipline and are an independent municipal corporation so we can receive funds and grants directly

Policy Group (Board) NWIMT Master Roster 1/13/09 34 Members + Trainees

NWIMT Approach Two standing teams, on weekly rotation, with trainees Board appoints ICs, confirms Deputy ICs ICs appoint all members Annual application Team training quarterly with a requirement of 2 per year Active trainee program Member of state mobilization plan One IC handles training Once IC coordinates other team functions Operating Committee (10) Fully self-contained plans, logistics and satellite comm. trailers support team 17 positions per standing team plus trainees Interlocal agreement with annual dues.05/capita or by budget for special districts

NWIMT Approach We owe our success to the hard work and vision of a core group who sacrificed expediency for longevity Our team has been blessed with the opportunity to deploy 15+ times in the last 3 years, which creates excitement and capability We also owe a debt to the Jefferson County, Co. team who shared everything they had, and we would be happy to do the same. Our website has lots of information at

NWIMT Approach The model we chose works well for us, but is only one of many ways for team structure We took 2 years in planning and organization NWIMT serves a 5 – county region between Seattle and Canada and is the first-due IMT for the 2010 Olympics if there is an event on the U.S. side of the border We have a 9-member independent Board with one member from each discipline and are an independent municipal corporation so we can receive funds and grants directly

Questions??