The Leadership Succession Crisis can be Solved by Instilling Leadership Skills in Employees from Day One

 

 

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly grappling with the challenges of leadership succession. This issue is heightened by a significant demographic shift, as baby boomers retire in the United States, altering the dynamics of the workforce.

Against this backdrop, this episode of “Straight Outta Crumpton” sees hosts Greg Crumpton and Gabrielle Bar engage in a pertinent discussion with Dr. Nanette Miner, Managing Consultant at The Training Doctor, LLC. The episode zeroes in on a critical question facing SMEs: How can they cultivate effective leadership and ensure a smooth transition in their succession planning?

Dr. Miner emphasizes the importance of instilling leadership skills from the onset of an employee’s career, a strategy that’s crucial for SMEs struggling to navigate the complexities of developing future leaders in a landscape marked by generational change and the impending departure of experienced professionals.

“My belief system is teach everybody leadership skills, the minute they walk in the door,” Dr. Miner said.

Recent Episodes

With the rapid rise of AI workloads, data centers are being built with higher power density, stricter reliability expectations, and cooling technologies that are evolving faster than most teams can adapt. As a result, these facilities aren’t just getting bigger—they’re becoming harder to operate, harder to staff, and far less forgiving when something goes…

Skilled trades are facing accelerating retirements, rising customer expectations, and rapid advances in AI—putting the field service industry at a critical inflection point. Industry estimates suggest millions of frontline roles could go unfilled over the next decade, even as technology promises to automate more tasks than ever before. The stakes are high: decisions made now…

The skilled trades are undergoing a shift as experienced workers retire faster than new talent enters the field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for HVAC technicians is projected to grow 8% by 2034. That’s much faster than average — and shows the urgency of attracting and keeping new talent.  While…