Most leaders think about readiness for the next role as a personal question.

Can I handle more responsibility?  

Can I lead a larger team?  

Can I take on a bigger scope?

Those questions matter, but they are not the whole test.

The better question is: what happens to the team when you move?

If every hard decision still comes back to one person, the organization does not have readiness. It has dependency. And in electronics, manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain, that dependency shows up quickly. Delayed decisions. Missed context. Customer conversations that stall. Teams waiting for direction because the next layer was never fully developed.

That is the topic of my new blog post:

You’re Ready. Your Successor Isn’t.

It was inspired by my conversation with Jeff Newell, President of Mouser Electronics, where he said:

“If your successor is not ready, then you’re not ready.”

That line stuck with me because it is such a practical leadership test.

Successor readiness is not something to think about after a role opens. It is built in the day-to-day work: who gets context, who gets visibility, who gets feedback, and who is trusted with real decisions before they feel completely ready.

Read the full blog here

Read the Full Blog

Stay curious. Keep learning.

Sannah

P.S. And if you know someone leading a team through growth or transition, send it their way. It may be the right conversation for them this week.