Skip to main content
    Back to Webinars
    Research Brief 2020

    C-Suite Succession Planning - What Needs to Change After the Pandemic

    Research Brief

    A recording for this session isn't published. Below is the BPI editorial brief — key takeaways, an in-depth summary, and FAQs drawn from the original session materials and the presenter's body of work.

    Presenter

    JC

    Jim Citrin

    Description

    In light of COVID-19, CEO and all C-Suite succession plans need to be looked at. Will new skills be needed, and will succession plans need drastic changes? In this session, Jim Citrin, one of the world's experts in succession planning for CEO roles will discuss how organizations need to approach succession plans during and after the pandemic.

    Amidst unprecedented global changes, C-Suite succession planning underwent a significant re-evaluation. This session explores how organizations need to adapt their strategies for identifying and developing executive talent, ensuring continuity and resilience in leadership during and after periods of profound disruption. Understanding these shifts is crucial for maintaining organizational stability and competitive advantage.

    What you'll learn

    • Key changes impacting traditional C-Suite succession models.
    • How the pandemic accelerated the need for agile leadership characteristics.
    • Strategies for identifying and assessing leadership potential in a hybrid work environment.
    • Methods for developing diverse talent pipelines for senior executive roles.
    • Best practices for creating robust succession plans that anticipate future disruptions.
    • Insights from Jim Citrin on re-evaluating executive readiness criteria.

    Who this webinar is for

    This webinar is ideal for:

    • HR Executives and Chief People Officers
    • Organizational Development Leaders
    • CEOs and Board Members responsible for succession
    • Talent Management Professionals
    • Anyone involved in strategic workforce planning and executive development.

    Why it matters now

    The landscape for executive leadership has fundamentally shifted. The demands on C-Suite leaders today require different skills and mindsets than ever before. Organizations that fail to adapt their succession planning risk leadership gaps, reduced innovation, and an inability to respond effectively to future crises. Proactive and strategic succession planning is no longer a luxury but a necessity for organizational survival and growth in an uncertain world.

    How leaders can apply this

    Leaders can immediately begin to transform their succession planning by:

    • Conducting a thorough audit of existing succession plans against new market realities.
    • Prioritizing the development of adaptive and resilient leadership skills within their talent pool.
    • Implementing broader assessment criteria that include attributes like empathy, digital fluency, and crisis management.
    • Creating more fluid and dynamic development pathways for high-potential leaders.
    • Engaging boards and senior leadership more actively in the ongoing process of leadership identification and nurturing. Jim Citrin’s insights provide a framework for these critical adjustments, helping leaders build a strong bench capable of steering the organization through future challenges.

    About this session

    Key takeaways

    Watching this webinar gives you grounded, practical perspective on workplace culture. Expect ideas you can use in leadership conversations, not abstract theory, drawn from Jim Citrin's direct experience.

    Who this is for

    CHROs, HR business partners, talent leaders, executive coaches, organizational development practitioners, and senior leaders who are responsible for workplace culture inside their organization.

    Why it matters now

    Workforce expectations, hybrid work patterns, and AI-driven change keep raising the bar on culture and leadership. Sessions like this help leaders make smarter, more evidence-informed decisions about workplace culture.

    How to apply it

    Use the ideas here to challenge a current assumption on your team, design a single concrete experiment in the next 30 days, and bring one finding back to your leadership group for discussion.

    Frequently asked questions

    Best Practice Institute

    Best Practice Institute is the research organization behind Most Loved Workplace® certification, the SPARK Model, the Love of Workplace Index™ (LOWI™), and The Workplace Report.

    The Workplace Report

    The Workplace Report is BPI's original workplace culture research and editorial briefing series for CEOs, CHROs, people leaders, talent leaders, and employer-brand teams. It turns BPI's 25 years of research, Most Loved Workplace® certification data, SPARK findings, and current workforce signals into practical analysis leaders can use.

    The report format includes executive summaries, research-backed articles, company examples, methodology notes, and practical implications for retention, hiring, culture, leadership, and employee experience. New research and analysis is published on an ongoing editorial cadence at /workplace-report.