San Jacinto College

A recognized professional in leadership and workforce development and sought-after conference presenter, Simon scales her knowledge to advance the growth, competency building and leader readiness of teams, colleagues, clients, community partners and industry associates and peers.

With downsizing, position attrition and workforce reductions seemingly at an all-time high, the glass ceiling is getting lower and becoming more impenetrable. According to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Dec 2025), the number of job openings continues to decline, while many major companies across the country announce layoffs and restructuring initiatives. 

So, what does this mean to those mid-level managers who have invested their years, time and talent into companies they thought they had a future with and possibly a seat at the C-level table one day?  Is it probable that they will be moved out, before they are  moved up?

One trend many organizations have experienced is organizational flattening through consolidation of positions, trimming down the management layers, leaving vacancies unfilled through attrition and increasing workloads and spans of control.  The reward for hard work, dedication and excellence is more work, likely without an increase in pay or a promotional opportunity.  This creates a significant roadblock along one’s career journey and the challenge companies experience in retaining top talent is intensified.

The Succession Plan Divide

Traditionally, the end goal of succession planning was to proactively prepare to fill the gap with qualified candidates, trained and prepared to step into the next level of leadership. There was a willingness to invest in developing future leaders, but realistically, the actual positions available for advancement were few and far between.  Many managers and mid-levels identified as high potential, or those who had earned a coveted spot within a leadership development program, could typically sit for years with no title change or upward movement.  This created the divide that we are now faced with.  The divide between preparation and opportunity.  The divide that may cause burnout and potentially lead to losing top performers as they seek advancement through external prospects.

"The end goal shifts from preparing to replace, to creating multipliers who are skilled, influential strategist that work towards increasing the intelligence, capability, confidence and impact of themselves and the people around them."

Organizations who continue to view succession planning as leadership continuity, risk management and emergency preparedness, may find that they fall short when a true need arises.  Those high-value employees seeking to expand their options, gain increased levels of power and authority and be recognized and rewarded for their hard work, may grow tired of waiting for their turn and exit the business in search of upward mobility elsewhere.

What Career Advancement Looks Like

The time has come for a transition from traditional leadership pathways to capability building and expanded influence.  If succession planning continues to prepare people for jobs that don’t exist, it loses its purpose. It only becomes purposeful if we redefine the goal and how we approach leadership expansion.  A paradigm shift is occurring and the new direction is to develop people for greater influence, broader responsibility, organizational and industry-wide impact by creating cross-functional experiences and preparing mid-levels for emerging opportunities.

Advancement can no longer be viewed as a single path upward.  Instead, it is multi-directional evolution that challenges high potentials to learn, build and scale their knowledge, increasing the reach, accessibility and impact of valuable information.  This benefits stakeholders across all levels as leaders encourage and allow others to learn from their proven practices and expertise,  helping to accelerate innovation and strengthen collaboration through scaling of critical knowledge.

The View from the Top

The perspective of senior and C-level executives is to see the organization as a whole rather than from a single department, function or individual role. The strategic process of succession planning has traditionally been to fill key roles when vacancies occur. But to keep a strong talent pipeline when no vacancies exist requires an extension of focus.  When there is no pathway up, the new direction is holistic growth and development pathways that go beyond technical expertise and the ability to manage people. The strategic intention is to continue to build the knowledge, skills, mindset, behaviors and self-awareness needed to lead effectively in complex and changing environments.  These transformative strategies could include growth options to:

• Lead larger company-wide initiatives

• Drive greater internal, external and industry influence

• Grant and special project leadership

• Cross-functional assignments

• Community and industry engagement opportunities

• Professional visibility as conference presenters, keynote speakers, industry panelist

• Write/publish works that showcase their industry knowledge and expertise

When limited advancement exists, succession planning should concentrate on increasing value, not filling vacancies. By providing stretch experiences, cross-functional exposure and opportunities to expand influence, the chances of retaining top talent increases as existing managers continue to grow, build capabilities and strengthen their ability to make valuable contributions while achieving personal and professional satisfaction. 

The end goal shifts from preparing to replace, to creating multipliers who are skilled, influential strategist that work towards increasing the intelligence, capability, confidence and impact of themselves and the people around them.  They are the champions who will drive excellence by helping others contribute their best ideas and perform at a higher level regardless of where they fall within the organizational hierarchy.