Amidst the turmoil stemming from a massive customer data breach and lackluster performance in Canada, Target seems to continue to flounder with the departure of its CEO, Gregg Steinhafel.

In any corporation, big changes — particularly the loss of leadership — are bound to happen. To avoid chaos, you need to have a backup plan.

A Backup Plan for the Backup Plan

When I was in the military, we had multiple contingency plans for just about everything to make sure the team had direction and focus during times of ambiguity and stress. This idea is often lost on organizations that focus too much on day-to-day operations and not enough on the big picture.

When an organization fails to plan, it runs the risk of complete and utter disaster. The departure of a senior leader can create a tornado, leaving some scrambling for guidance and others jockeying for power. Having a plan provides calm before, during, and after the storm to help avoid system failure.

Why Planning Ahead Matters

Steinhafel’s departure from Target comes amidst controversy related to a massive data breach and huge gaps in its supply chain in Canada. Until a new CEO is appointed, current Target executives are attempting to navigate the situation, but this plan (or lack thereof) will undoubtedly make it harder to drive focus and alignment across the organization.

Had there been a succession plan for supplemental leadership, could these crises have been managed more skillfully? Better yet, could they have been avoided altogether?

We’ll probably never know whether Steinhafel’s departure had a significant effect on Target’s recent struggles. But it would’ve been less of a disaster if Target had had a succession plan.

Lessons Learned

There’s a lesson or two to be taken from Target’s recent shake-up. For starters, the only thing we can truly count on is change. Things change, and people change. The good news is that because we’re aware of it, we can plan for it, and here’s how:

Have a succession plan. Identify several qualified team members who could step seamlessly into a leadership role.

Identify several qualified team members who could step seamlessly into a leadership role. Be proactive with your HR efforts. The HR team should continuously be on the lookout for qualified external candidates to step in if internal candidates aren’t an option. If HR is ahead of the game, the main goals of the organization can stay within focus with little disruption from a new hire.

The HR team should continuously be on the lookout for qualified external candidates to step in if internal candidates aren’t an option. If HR is ahead of the game, the main goals of the organization can stay within focus with little disruption from a new hire. Continuously develop the leadership bench. Once potential leaders are identified within the organization, they should be educated, trained, and provided with key learning opportunities. These opportunities could include job rotations, global assignments, and targeted experiences that prepare them for greater responsibility.

The Calm During the Storm

Now that you know how to prepare for a management shift, you have to know how to maintain your composure during substantial change. Here are four tips to handle the shift well:

Fill in the gaps. If you leave people to their own perceptions, what they’ll imagine will likely be much worse than reality. Help everyone stay focused by being informative and upfront.

If you leave people to their own perceptions, what they’ll imagine will likely be much worse than reality. Help everyone stay focused by being informative and upfront. Time is of the essence. Although it’s important to provide the right information, it’s also critical to release it in a timely manner. Information should be factual, but don’t wait until you have all the information to start sharing. Share as much as is appropriate to satisfy curiosity and keep everyone calm and on track.

Although it’s important to provide the right information, it’s also critical to release it in a timely manner. Information should be factual, but don’t wait until you have all the information to start sharing. Share as much as is appropriate to satisfy curiosity and keep everyone calm and on track. Focus on the mission. The organization should have a clear direction that outlives its leaders. Everyone should be on the same page so the focus remains, regardless of who takes over the leadership role.

The organization should have a clear direction that outlives its leaders. Everyone should be on the same page so the focus remains, regardless of who takes over the leadership role. Give people space. Employees should be given the opportunity to process the changes, voice their concerns, and clear up any misconceptions without fear of retribution.

A client of ours recently acquired a new organization to expand its service offerings across a larger geographic area. Our client wasted no time in placing a new CEO whose open-minded approach of collecting feedback from employees allowed him to recognize that the organization needed a vision for the future. With the help of employees, the CEO was able to create a clear vision and mission that helped everyone focus on providing exceptional service to their customers moving forward.



Change is personal; it affects different people in different ways. In times of transition, the focus can easily shift from hard work to self-preservation. Whenever possible, leaders should engage their teams in face-to-face dialogue that’s open and honest. Creating an outlet to manage the emotions that come with change makes all the difference in maintaining a culture of composure.

Chris Cancialosi, Ph.D., is Managing Partner and Founder at gothamCulture.