Jim Christenson is an APPA member emeritus living in Osseo, Wisconsin. He writes the Field Notes column for Facilties Manager and can be reached at jchriste@umich.edu.

For every complex question there is a simple answer, and it is wrong.
-Oscar Wilde

"Who's up?" someone yells. No one comes forward. The pitcher fidgets. He has struck out the first two batters. He's hot. He wants to finish the inning in style. Finally, an embarrassed and unprepared player comes to the plate. Play resumes.

Many of us have played sandlot baseball-or we've watched as our children play pick-up games or Little League. In impromptu games, when there's no team manager and little planning, details like batting order are not high on the priority list. In fact, the team may suddenly realize that the next batter has left for dinner-or is behind the backstop playing with a stray dog.

The sudden realization that there is a vacant position isn't limited to kids' sports. Organizations have been known to come up short when someone asks, "Who will take his place?" The director suddenly decides to retire. Or she accepts an unexpected offer at a prestigious university 2,000 miles away. Who will carry on the great work? Who will maintain the momentum that took so long to build? Those left behind realize too late that they should have seen this coming. There should have been some preparation. "Someone" should have done some accession planning-planning for the time when a key individual is no longer there.

Accession (or succession) planning for chief facilities officers-directors, AVPs, or vice presidents for facilities-is not common, especially at public institutions. A public institution's policies often require a national search for high-level vacancies. So even if the chief facilities officer ("cfo" for purposes of this discussion, to avoid offending the person's boss, the Chief Financial Officer-the "CFO") has put sound accession planning into action, there is no assurance it will yield the results intended.

If the plans are not prepared in consultation with other key players, those players will be making unanticipated decisions concerning the successor after the cfo is gone. This really happens. The only reason I was given the opportunity, as an outsider, to serve as the cfo or physical plant director of four universities was that these institutions had no accepted accession plan in place. They did not have adequate confidence in their own people.

Why Worry?
Perhaps we should go back a step. Why does it matter? Why is it important that there be continuity? After all, presidents come and go. And often, new presidents want to pick all their immediate subordinates, creating a complete turnover in top management. Deans may be appointed for five years; they learn the business just in time to realize that their appointed time is ended and another will take over. Why should the position of cfo be different?

I maintain that facilities-the institution's building and grounds -have no spokesperson other than the cfo. Who else is there to express concern over deferred renewal? Who else will articulate to stakeholders the fact that the institution's facilities are its largest endowment and must be treated as such? Who else realizes that what the alumni really come back to see are the buildings and grounds they haunted as students, not their long-departed professors or old friends who never show up anyway?

Some might argue that the top administration, the trustees, or the legislature should be concerned about the condition of the present buildings and grounds. In a few cases that is the case. But the concern, if present at all, is often passing. Other matters intrude: policy, the financial endowment, new programs, construction of exciting new facilities. And, in fact, these-especially policy-making-are proper concerns of these groups. Normally the only time the president, regents, or legislature addresses issues concerning the condition of the present facilities is when there is a new construction project that replaces an obsolete building or when really serious deterioration becomes evident to all. Even then, the issue is usually discussed only after the cfo, in his or her stewardship role, has tried to get it on the agenda for six months.

In January 2001, Carole Barone of Educause stated, "Education must transform itself or become irrelevant." This is one among a thousand voices telling higher education leaders that the old ways of developing, sharing, and storing knowledge will not work today and tomorrow. That puts a great burden on these leaders to do continuous research on what will work in this rapidly changing world, to repeatedly update their strategic plans with that information, and to implement these plans in time to maintain the institution's academic and financial standing. Higher education's policy makers are left with even less time than in the past to be concerned with the state of the facilities-other than to recognize that some of them badly need adaption if they are to support the constantly changing tools of learning.

So, I ask again, Who is left to speak up for the voiceless facilities? The chief facilities officer. That still begs the question of why there should be continuity in that position. Actually, I would argue that there should be continuity in the policy-making positions as well. Too much time is spent learning the territory, too little making forward progress. But there are times that the governor or the people of the state legitimately want a change of direction. The action to accomplish that may be a new board of regents and replacement of key leaders. Then, especially, when wholesale turnover of policy makers takes place, it becomes all the more important that the stewardship function of the cfo not become a casualty by the discontinuity of that role.

Preparation by Selection
Vacancies in key facilities positions provide opportunities to prepare for the day when the present cfo will be gone. In a large facilities division, most department head positions are potential stepping stones to the cfo position. Even in small organizations, there is usually at least one position that should be occupied by a person qualified to succeed the cfo. Any time there is an opportunity to select a person to fill a vacancy, the cfo can take a major step in preparing the organization for transformation into something closer to the organization's vision.

This iterative action sequence describes some of the most important work of any cfo:

As the list shows, filling a vacancy is important, but only one part of the leadership role. Much else must be done to prepare people and the organization for transition. And what does the cfo do when there is no vacancy?

Preparation by Leadership
Turnover of department heads within a facilities organization can be due to two very different causes: 1) An institution or a facilities division that is a really bad place to work (all the rats flee the sinking/stinking ship), or 2) an inspired institution or organization that does very well at growing people to prepare them for ever-increasing responsibility. Most organizations are someplace in between. In those, people may stay in their positions for a decade or more.

People with a wealth of experience who are in key positions, but do not appear to have what it takes to be the next cfo, present the greatest challenge to the cfo. That is true whether the cfo is expecting to lead the organization for another ten years or is planning to retire next year. The temptation is to find a devious way to replace them. The inexperienced cfo says to himself, "If I can create an entirely new team, everything will turn around." Unfortunately, that usually results in a team of people who need to spend most of their time learning about everything-the institution, the job itself, and the direction that the leader wants the organization to go. I know. I have thought those thoughts myself, acted on them, and learned my lesson the hard way.

A true leader provides the inspiration and reasons for the existing people to change. Few people are programmed like animals to never deviate from habitual behavior. If they are convinced with reason that a different direction will benefit the institution and if they can see clearly what role they can play, they will change and grow. The most rewarding work of a leader is to grow people to exceed their own and others' expectations. Such growth can result in one or more great candidates for the cfo vacancy when it occurs. That is a win-win transformation for the institution and for the individual.

Preparation by Development
Whether potential candidates for a vacant cfo position are relatively new in a subordinate position or have spent a career in the organization, they need to be constantly learning. We believe that today's technical and scientific knowledge has a half-life of four years. We may assume that skills in leadership, management, interpersonal relations, marketing, financial management, and asset management require little updating, or that they come naturally. Most readers of Facilities Manager know that that is far from true.

Every organization that intends to remain vital must be a learning organization. APPA's Institute for Facilities Management and the Leadership Academy (see dates on page 56 in this issue) help facilities organizations of all sizes to provide excellent growth opportunities for their key people. The annual Educational Facilities Leadership Forum, regional educational conferences, and gatherings of state and local facilities professionals offer more opportunities.

Large organizations can and should have their own centers for organizational learning. Some regions of APPA facilitate the participation of staff from small institutions in the staff development programs of nearby large institutions. Several years ago, one independent university groomed its own directors and vice presidential replacements by identifying key young executives and, through a process of interviews, intensive five-year reviews, and deliberate placement in growth positions, developed these individuals into institutional leaders. Opportunities and ideas for staff members' growth abound. All that is required is the commitment by leadership to that objective.

Preparation by Anticipation
We know that age has something to do with retirement, although there is not always a direct relationship. Even so, whether our interest is in replacing skilled crafts workers, department heads, or the cfo, analyzing data to help predict the need for replacements is essential. For large groups of people, this should be done each year, comparing average age with the average age of prior year retirements. This can, for example, help determine how many candidates to bring into the apprenticeship program.

Predictions of when key department heads and the cfo must be replaced are tougher-sometimes even for the individuals themselves. The cfo usually serves "at the pleasure of the president." Under some presidents, that may impose a high degree of uncertainty. And, of course, department heads and the cfo may wish to take advantage of opportunities at other institutions when they feel they have contributed all that they can at their present institution. At most institutions, though, retirement is the route for vacating a key position. Although that does not provide a completely predictable target date, it is the most predictable of the variables.

In the case of the cfo and key department heads, that predictability should be used to plan a smooth transition. If institution policy absolutely requires a national search, that fact should be made clear to all and the search scheduled for the appropriate time frame as soon as the cfo or department head has declared his firm intention. If the institution has done its prior work as a true learning organization and if individuals have taken that opportunity seriously, the national advertisement should indicate a "strong internal candidate." That saves the time of those who may routinely apply for open positions hoping for the greener grass that always exists on the other side of their imaginary fence. That, in turn, saves time for the search committee.

Most importantly, though, such a statement reminds internal candidates that their learning and their efforts are recognized and that, unless a Nobel Peace Prize winner with doctorates in engineering and business administration also interviews well, they have a reasonable chance at the position. After all, the internal candidates already know "the territory," the people the organization serves, and the vision that the institution is working toward. If they have been actively learning and have been effective performers, most selection committees and officials would judge them to be the most qualified candidates.

So-Who's Up Next?
Neither the cfo nor her staff stays forever. We can't escape the fact that eventually we all leave or die on the job. Continuity in facilities leadership is especially important since the cfo is often the only person speaking on behalf of the mute buildings and grounds. The tools to be used to ensure continuity combined with excellence include those associated with good leadership under all conditions: vision, inspiration/persuasion, strategic planning and thinking, strategic goals, wise selection, and a commitment to the development of people. So, in accession planning, as with any important endeavor, wise, visionary leadership makes the difference. If present, those people who remain won't be left wondering "Who's next at bat?"