# Succession Planning Training for HR and Leaders > Succession planning training that helps HR and leaders identify critical roles, run fair talent reviews and build ready successors. Start planning now. - Source: https://bodhih.com/succession-planning-training/ - Publisher: Bodhih Training (Bengaluru, India; since 2008) - Last updated: 2026-10-15 - Contact: solutions@bodhih.com · +91 99000 11601 --- Most organisations know who their key people are, but few have ready successors when those people move on. Our succession planning training gives HR and leaders a practical method to find critical roles, assess talent fairly and grow a real bench. ## At a glance - **Duration:** Recommended: 2 days in person, or 4 x 3-hour live virtual sessions, customised to your talent framework - **Who it’s for:** HR leaders, HRBPs, talent management teams and senior line leaders - **Level:** Intermediate to Advanced - **Format:** In person · Live virtual · Blended - **Track record:** Since 2008 · 2,000+ companies Succession planning training teaches HR teams and senior leaders to identify critical roles, assess potential and readiness, run calibrated talent reviews and develop successors. Bodhih runs it as a 2-day workshop or four 3-hour virtual sessions, using the 9-box grid, readiness ratings and bench strength metrics, and participants leave with a succession plan draft for their own critical roles. - Recommended: 2 days in person, or 4 x 3-hour live virtual sessions, customised to your talent framework - Level: Intermediate to Advanced · In person · Live virtual · Blended - Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context - Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions **Also known as:** succession planning workshop, talent review training, 9 box grid training, leadership pipeline training **Where and how:** succession planning training as an in-person workshop in [Bengaluru](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-bangalore/), [Mumbai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-mumbai/), [Delhi NCR](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-new-delhi/), [Gurugram](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-gurugram/), [Hyderabad](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-hyderabad/), [Chennai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-chennai/), [Pune](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-pune/), [Kolkata](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-kolkata/), [Ahmedabad](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-ahmedabad/) and [Jaipur](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-jaipur/); as a live online course; or delivered overseas in [Dubai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-dubai/), [Singapore](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-singapore/) and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Last reviewed 15 Oct 2026 by [Siddharthan VGJ](https://bodhih.com/siddharthan-vgj/), Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru ## Why succession cannot wait for a resignation Growth, retirements and a competitive market for experienced leaders all leave critical roles exposed. When a key person leaves without a successor, projects stall and outside hires take months to settle. Many Indian businesses, including family-run companies and fast-scaling [GCCs](https://bodhih.com/gcc-leadership-development-program/), still rely on informal judgement for these decisions. Succession planning training replaces guesswork with a transparent process that leaders trust and employees see as fair. ## What participants will be able to do ### Find critical roles Identify roles whose vacancy would most hurt strategy, revenue or operations using a simple criticality matrix. ### Separate performance from potential Assess potential with clear indicators such as [learning agility](https://bodhih.com/learning-agility-training/), drive and judgement rather than current results alone. ### Run fair calibrations Facilitate talent review meetings that challenge bias and reach evidence-based placements on the 9-box grid. ### Rate readiness honestly Classify successors as ready now, ready in one to two years or ready later, with the gaps behind each rating. ### Grow the bench Build development plans that combine stretch assignments, mentoring and learning for each named successor. ### Track pipeline health Report bench strength, successor coverage and internal fill rates to leadership each quarter. ## Who should attend - CHROs and HR heads designing or refreshing a succession process - HRBPs and talent management specialists who run talent reviews - Senior leaders who nominate and develop successors - Founders and promoters of family businesses planning leadership transitions - GCC site leaders building local leadership for roles once held overseas - L&D teams designing [high-potential](https://bodhih.com/high-potential-leadership-program/) development journeys ## Program outline Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis. ### **Succession planning foundations**Module 1 · 2 hours - Succession planning versus replacement planning and talent pools - The succession cycle: identify, assess, review, develop and monitor - Diagnostic: rating the maturity of your current process ### **Identifying critical roles**Module 2 · 2 hours - Criticality matrix: impact on strategy against difficulty to replace - Key person risk and single points of failure - Exercise: ranking roles in a sample business unit ### **Assessing potential and readiness**Module 3 · 3 hours - Indicators of potential: learning agility, aspiration, ability and engagement - Using 360 feedback, assessments and development centres as evidence - Readiness levels with gap statements for each candidate ### **The 9-box grid and calibration**Module 4 · 3 hours - How the 9-box grid works, and its limits - Common biases in talent reviews such as recency, halo and similarity - Simulation: a full calibration meeting with conflicting leader views ### **Developing successors**Module 5 · 2 hours - The 70-20-10 mix of experience, relationships and learning - Designing stretch assignments and job rotations - Individual development plan template with quarterly milestones ### **Governance, metrics and communication**Module 6 · 2 hours - Bench strength, successor coverage, internal fill rate and successor retention - Deciding what to tell employees about talent pool status - Final presentation of a succession plan for one critical role ## Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design This two-day design gives HR and senior leaders a fair, repeatable succession process they can run on real roles. Participants rate the maturity of their current approach, rank critical roles in a sample business unit, separate performance from potential using evidence, assign readiness levels with honest gap statements and run a full calibration meeting where leaders disagree. On day two they build development plans for named successors and present a succession plan for one of their own critical roles. 75% hands-on practice · 13.5 contact hours · Cohort: 10–20 participants · In person · Live virtual ### Day 1: Find the risk, judge potential fairly Participants can identify critical roles, assess potential and readiness with evidence and run a calibration meeting. 1. 09:30–10:00 · Monday morning resignation (Energiser) 2. 10:00–10:45 · How mature is our process? (Diagnostic) 3. 11:00–12:00 · Rank the critical roles (Group challenge) 4. 12:00–13:00 · Performance is not potential (Skill drill) 5. 13:45–14:30 · Honest readiness (Case clinic) 6. 14:30–15:30 · Bias spotting in talent reviews (Fishbowl) 7. 15:45–16:45 · Calibration simulation (Simulation) 8. 16:45–17:30 · What I would change on Monday (Reflection) ### Day 2: Grow the bench and govern it Participants can build development plans for successors, set up governance and metrics, and present a succession plan for a real role. 1. 09:30–10:00 · The stretch assignment market (Energiser) 2. 10:00–11:00 · Development plans that work (Build sprint) 3. 11:15–12:00 · Bench metrics that leaders read (Hands-on lab) 4. 12:00–13:00 · What do we tell people? (Role-play) 5. 13:45–14:45 · Build my succession plan (Build sprint) 6. 14:45–15:30 · Capstone: the succession committee (Presentation) 7. 15:45–16:30 · Governance design (Group challenge) 8. 16:30–17:30 · My 90-day succession plan (Action planning) Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, customised to your competency model, with a first real talent review within 90 days. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis. ### How long is succession planning training? The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, or four live virtual sessions of three hours each. It is customised to your competency model. Participants then run a first real talent review within 90 days, with optional trainer support for the first calibration. ### What activities are included in succession planning training? Participants rank critical roles in a sample business, rate potential from real-style profiles, spot bias in a fishbowl talent review, run a full calibration simulation with conflicting leaders, and present a succession plan for one of their own roles to a mock committee. ## How we deliver it ### Your framework first During the Analyse phase we review your competency model and performance data so tools fit what you already use. ### Live calibration practice Participants practise talent reviews with realistic profiles, so they learn to handle disagreement and bias in the room. ### Evidence-backed assessment We show how assessment data from AssessAll, including 360 feedback, can support fairer potential ratings. ### Plans, not just concepts Every participant leaves with a draft succession plan for real roles, reviewed by the trainer and peers. ## Tailored versions ### For family businesses Covers family and professional leadership roles, governance and sensitive conversations about next-generation readiness. ### For GCCs Focuses on building India-based successors for global roles, local leadership pipelines and matrix reporting lines. ### Leader briefing A half-day session for senior leaders on their role in talent reviews, nominating successors and coaching them. ## How we measure impact Using the Evaluate phase of ADDIE, participants complete a pre and post assessment of talent review skills, and we score each succession plan draft against a rubric. At 30, 60 and 90 days we check progress with the HR sponsor: critical roles mapped, calibrations held and development plans started. Over time we help you track successor coverage, bench strength and internal fill rates as the real measures of impact. AA Pair this program with [AssessAll](https://assessall.com), Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is succession planning in HR? Succession planning is the process of identifying critical roles and preparing people to step into them when they become vacant. It includes assessing potential, rating readiness, reviewing talent in calibrated meetings and building development plans. Done well, it reduces business risk and gives employees a clearer view of their growth path. ### How do you identify critical roles? Look at each role's impact on strategy, revenue or operations, and how hard it would be to replace the person in it. Roles high on both are critical. Also check for key person risk, where knowledge or relationships sit with one individual. Our succession planning training uses a simple criticality matrix for this. ### How does the 9-box grid work? The 9-box grid places employees on two axes, usually current performance and future potential, each rated low, medium or high. The resulting nine boxes help leaders discuss development, retention and succession choices. It is most useful as a conversation tool in a calibrated review, not as a label attached to a person. ### How do you assess successor readiness? Compare what the target role needs with the candidate's current capabilities, experience and track record. Use evidence from performance data, 360 feedback, assessments and stretch assignments. Most organisations then rate successors as ready now, ready in one to two years, or ready in three or more, with a clear gap statement. ### Should employees be told they are successors? Practices vary. Many organisations tell employees they are in a talent pool and discuss their development, without promising a specific role. Promising a job can create disappointment if plans change. We help you agree a communication approach that is honest, consistent and fits your culture. ### How long does it take to build a succession plan? A first plan for your most critical roles can be drafted within a few weeks of the program. Building a real bench takes longer, because successors need time in stretch roles and development. We recommend reviewing plans at least twice a year and updating them whenever the business changes. ### Can succession planning training be run for leaders and HR together? Yes, and it often works well that way. HR learns the process and tools, while leaders practise the judgement calls they make in talent reviews. Running the calibration simulation with both groups in the room builds shared standards and makes the first real review far smoother. We adjust the depth of each module to the mix of participants.