Jonathan Tjarks and succession planning

In the realm of leadership, both corporate and throughout world history, “succession” has always been a dramatic term. Whether it be Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” spicemaker McCormick’s successfully executed 62five-year strategy, or even the TV program “Succession,” the act of a company having a plan in place to move forward is both rightful thinking but at times an emotional threat that can singe egos, disrupting the best-laid plans. 

In the past two weeks, we’ve observed a number of events that triggered discussion around succession. On the global scale, Queen Elizabeth II passed on Sept. 8, at age 96. And with it, a carefully mapped out line of succession across multiple families forged new seats at the family dinner table. It is perhaps the most public and notorious succession plan we have that exists in 2022.

On a slightly smaller scale, we saw Bed Bath & Beyond (BBB) have to move quickly to name a successor due to Gustavo Arnal’s tragic death. Laura Cressen, a BBB veteran of more than 20 years, was named as interim CFO (while Sue Grove assumed the interim CEO role) amid a rapidly unspooling financial situation for the retailer. A tough situation will become tougher, and Cressen and Grove are behind the eight-ball. Arnal was supposed to lead the company out of catastrophe. BBB probably wasn’t wondering at the time if Cressen could handle the challenges the CFO role would present.

Finally, there’s the personal scale. On the evening of Sept. 10, 2022, a man named Jonathan Tjarks passed away from a particularly ruthless form of cancer. If you swim in pro sports circles, especially the NBA, you might recognize his name. I considered him a friend, even if our interaction was extremely limited, due to his health situation. He has a succession as well, but not the kind of which we commonly think. Jon’s basketball insights and writing chops are irreplaceable, but his company will persevere. Rather, the succession that matters most here is that of a father to his child. 

Jon started his family several years ago with his own father in mind, a father robbed of his health due to Parkinson’s Disease. Jon vowed to do better so his own son Jackson would not only know Jon, but also the people who influenced Jon most. But Jon was robbed of the former. The latter is all that remains. Succession happened sooner than it should have, and Jon, on a national media platform, wondered, who will remember the successor? “Does my son know you?” 

Succession planning isn’t simply choosing the person to replace you — it is building a culture around that eventual selection so all know why you choose who you did, and will support that person as they did you.