Succession or Stagnation: What really happens when succession planning is avoided

In every business, there comes a point where leadership faces a simple choice: succession or stagnation.

It’s rarely talked about openly. Especially in agriculture, where relationships are deep, loyalty runs strong, and many businesses have been built over generations or long periods of time. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t stop change; it just makes it harder when it arrives.

The comfort of continuity

We often tell ourselves that continuity is a sign of strength. Familiar faces, known ways of working, stability. And in many ways, it is. Continuity gives confidence to customers and staff alike.

But there’s a thin line between continuity and complacency. When leadership becomes static, the business starts to harden around the habits of its current generation. Decisions get deferred. New ideas are weighed down by old assumptions. Potential successors grow restless or drift away. And the organisation that once had energy starts quietly to lose it.

Why succession stalls

In most cases, it’s not about ego, it’s about emotion.

• Leaders who have built something don’t want to see it changed.
• Successors feel unsure how to step up without seeming disrespectful.
• Boards and owners avoid difficult conversations until circumstances force their hand.

Fear of losing control, status, or relevance can be powerful. But the bigger risk is losing momentum.

Succession as a people process

Real succession isn’t just about replacing a name on the org chart; it’s about preparing people.

• Do potential successors know what’s expected of them, and are they being developed for it?
• Is there honest dialogue between current and future leaders?
• Are values, culture, and purpose being consciously passed on, not just tasks and titles?
• Are we creating space for the next generation to bring new thinking, not just carry on ours?

A healthy organisation grows new leaders the same way a good farmer nurtures a crop, preparing the soil, tending the roots, and knowing when to step back.

Signs of stagnation

If you want to know whether a business is moving or stuck, look for the signs:

• The same people in every meeting and the same voices dominating.
• A pipeline of talent that looks thin or uncertain.
• Promotions that come as surprises rather than part of a plan.
• Staff or family members “waiting their turn” instead of being developed for it.

The leadership responsibility

Good leaders think beyond their own tenure. They invest in people who might one day challenge or change their legacy because they understand that’s how the business stays alive.

Succession is not a threat; it’s a test of leadership maturity. It’s the difference between leaving behind a title and leaving behind a thriving organisation.

The Populi view

At its heart, succession is about trust. Trusting others to lead. Trusting yourself to let go. Trusting that the culture you’ve built can evolve without losing its essence.

The choice is always there: succession or stagnation. One looks easier in the short term. The other keeps the business and the people alive for the long term.

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