Transitions will happen. The founder steps down, your stewardship manager moves out west, your development director is headhunted and board officers reach their term limits. Succession planning gives you a framework to manage through these transitions, whether in the form of proactive preparation for an emergency, a planned transition or the development of leadership skills and core competencies throughout your organization. To get where you are going you need to know your destination, true, but you also need to know how to get there. When applied and integrated into everyday management and operations, succession planning guides investment in your staff increasing their commitment, retention and satisfaction, it builds board cohesion, skills and confidence, and ensures that your next leadership transition is an opportunity to look forward and to grow. In this workshop we will provide participants with tools to identify leadership skills and core competencies needed on the staff team and the board team. We will share best practices for developing and implementing your plan, identify the roles of staff, board and leadership, and how to manage transitions when they do occur . You will walk away withconcrete steps that you can take to create a more sustainable future for your land trust, with committed people who are in it for the long term.