Succession Planning Breakthrough #5 & The Blindness of Proximity

Marcus, once overlooked as “just seasonal help,” now leads a thriving multi-location business after stepping up in a time of crisis.

Why We Miss the Greatness Right Under Our Nose

“A prophet has little honor in his hometown...” - Matthew 13:57

Jim owns a successful cotton gin in the heart of agricultural country. For years, he worries about who will eventually take over his operation. 

He interviews “qualified” candidates from outside, pays expensive recruiters, and even considers selling to a competitor.

All the while Marcus, a seasonal manager who returns year after year, quietly revolutionizes their operations.

Marcus redesigns the loading dock system, saving thousands in labor costs. He creates an inventory tracking method that reduces waste by 40%. He even develops relationships with farmers that bring in three new major accounts.

But Jim never see’s Marcus as leadership material.

Why? Because Marcus is “just seasonal help” - familiar, predictable, and therefore invisible.

Jim needs Succession Planning Breakthrough #5: Recognizing Greatness Close Up

Proximity Blindness

This blindness to nearby greatness isn’t unique to Jim. It’s a psychological phenomenon that affects many businesses that fail to transition to their second generation of leadership.

Jesus couldn’t perform many miracles in his hometown because the people who grew up with him couldn’t see beyond the carpenter’s son they’d always known. 

“Isn’t this Mary’s boy?” they asked dismissively.

As Stephen Covey wisely noted, true leadership involves “communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it themselves.”

But how can we communicate what we ourselves are blind to?

Why We Miss the Greatness on Our Team

1. Familiarity Breeds Invisibility

   When we see people daily, we develop fixed perceptions. We categorize them: “She’s the detail person,” “He’s good with customers but not strategic.”

   
   

   These labels become mental prisons that prevent us from seeing growth and potential.

   
   

2. We Look for Mirrors, Not Complements

   Entrepreneurs often search for successors who remind them of themselves, overlooking team members with different but complementary strengths.

   
   

3. We Confuse Role with Capacity

   Just because someone excels in an operational role doesn’t mean they lack strategic vision.

   As one successful entrepreneur discovered, “The fastest runners” often reveal themselves in unexpected contexts.

   
   

4. We Fail to Create Revealing Opportunities

   Without intentionally creating situations that allow team members to demonstrate hidden talents, those talents remain hidden.

   
   

   As the Succession Planning for Impact Method teaches, developing leaders requires giving them chances to shine outside their comfort zones.

   
   

Developing “Fresh Eyes” to See Greatness Close Up

How do we overcome this proximity blindness? By developing what I call “fresh eyes” - the ability to see familiar people and situations from new perspectives.

1. Ask Questions, Don’t Provide Answers

   Create an environment where asking questions is encouraged and not seen as weakness.

   
   

   These questions lead to looking at your team with “fresh eyes” and foster a culture of curiosity and continuous learning.

   
   

2. Look for “Sparks of Greatness”

   When your people have sparks of greatness, people will take notice.

   
   

   These sparks often appear when team members tackle challenges outside their normal responsibilities. Watch for them!

   
   

3. Rotate Responsibilities

   Give people opportunities not generally in their realm of responsibility and observe their performance.

   
   

   When team members do something exceptionally well in an unfamiliar context, this often indicates unique ability and talent.

   
   

4. Seek Diverse Perspectives

   Encourage your team to view the company from different angles and consider information in new ways.

   
   

   The goal is to gain new insights, discover hidden aspects, and find innovative solutions by breaking away from preconceived notions.

   
   

Jim’s Breakthrough Moment

Jim’s “fresh eyes” breakthrough moment came during a crisis. A major equipment failure threatened to shut down operations during peak season.

While Jim panicked, Marcus calmly organized a team, negotiated emergency parts delivery, and had them running again in 36 hours instead of the expected week.

“Who ARE you?” Jim asked, seeing Marcus truly for the first time.

“The same guy I’ve always been,” Marcus replied. “You just never asked.”

Within a year, Marcus was operations manager. Three years later, he was being groomed as Jim’s successor. Today, the business has expanded to three locations under Marcus’s leadership, while Jim enjoys semi-retirement and a healthy profit-sharing arrangement.

Your Legacy Depends on Recognition

One of the greatest legacies you can leave behind is a business that continually makes a profit and blesses its community for generations.

This legacy begins with recognizing and developing the talent already on your team.

Your successor may already be on your team, quietly demonstrating sparks of greatness, waiting for you to notice.

The question is: Do you have the courage to develop “fresh eyes” and see what’s been in front of you all along?

Ready to develop “fresh eyes” and discover the hidden talent on your team? Email me at harryt@cultivatingimpact.biz to learn more about our Succession Planning for Impact Method and how it can help you build a team that will outshine even your greatest achievements.