Everybody Is Retiring!
When two long-time engineers stepped into ownership roles at a 30-year-old construction management firm, they inherited more than new titles.
They inherited a big problem.
Within weeks, the new president realized something alarming: nearly half the leadership team was on track to retire within five years—and there was no one prepared to take their place.
There was no leadership pipeline.
No succession plan.
No one tracking who had potential or interest in stepping up.
And no strategy in place to build the skills required for future leadership.
But they did have one major asset: an eager HR director and a dedicated training coordinator who were ready to do the work—once they had a plan.
How The Training Doctor helped
Over six months, we helped the company create a sustainable internal development program. That included:
Technical career paths that linked to leadership tracks
A three-year leadership development curriculum (not overwhelming – just slow and steady wins the race!)
Coaching and mentoring practices
Peer-to-peer cohort learning
On-the-job practicums
And a plan to purchase a learning management system (LMS) to track progress
Analyzing their exit data revealed that nearly 100 technical staff—including project managers—had left in the prior five years. WHY? A lack of visible career advancement and leadership development was a key theme.
We also surveyed 60 PMs to ask what leadership skills they felt they lacked, then benchmarked six competitors to see how they developed their future leaders. The result was a curriculum focused on communication, business development, leadership, and industry knowledge.
Lessons Learned
Retirement risk doesn’t go away with leadership changes – you have to keep looking “down the line.”
Career advancement needs to be visible and structured, not left to chance.
Actions You Can Take
Start by mapping out retirements. Know when key people plan to leave.
Ask your team what they need to learn, in order to lead. They know what skills they’re missing.
Don’t focus solely on C-suite changes. Develop leadership at all levels—especially in the field.
Build now. Leadership turnover is inevitable. Preparedness isn’t.
