The Management Pipeline

3-5 day simulationAdvanced

Maya Chen is your team’s top performer — technically exceptional, driven, and she just told your Director she’s interested in management. Your Team Lead David has concerns he hasn’t shared with Maya yet. Your Director expects a development plan. You’re in the middle.

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From

Jennifer Park

Subject

Quick question - Maya Chen’s development

Hi, Had lunch with Maya yesterday and she mentioned she's interested in exploring management opportunities "when the time is right." I'm curious what you're thinking about her development path? She's clearly a strong technical contributor, and I want to make sure we're being intentional about building our leadership pipeline. Would love to get your take on this - where do you see her trajectory, and what's your plan for her growth?

THE SITUATION

Everyone has a plan for Maya except Maya

DataFlow is growing 40% year-over-year and leadership is focused on building bench strength. Maya Chen is your team’s strongest engineer — top 5% performer, technically exceptional, action-oriented.

She mentioned management interest to your Director over lunch. Your Director sees a succession planning opportunity and wants your read.

Your Team Lead David — who manages Maya directly — has concerns about readiness that he hasn’t raised with Maya or with Jennifer. He’s protective of his team and wary of pushing someone before they’re ready.

You’re the person who has to align all three perspectives without making promises you can’t keep or hiding concerns that need to surface.

WHAT YOU'LL PRACTICE

4 leadership skills, one scenario

Navigating succession planning with competing perspectives

Your Director sees opportunity. Your Team Lead sees risk. Maya sees a path forward. Aligning them requires transparency, not diplomacy.

Giving honest feedback about readiness without crushing ambition

Maya is talented. That doesn’t mean she’s ready. The question is how to say that in a way that develops instead of deflates.

Aligning stakeholders before making promises

If you commit to Jennifer before talking to David, you’re making promises on someone else’s behalf. If you delay too long, someone fills the gap.

Balancing what’s good for the person vs. what’s good for the team

Promoting someone too early can damage them, the team, and your credibility. But holding someone back has costs too.

HOW IT WORKS

From inbox to insight

Receive Jennifer’s email

A casual question from your Director that carries the weight of a succession planning conversation.

Reply with your perspective

Your real email, your real words. What you share — and what you hold back — shapes everything that follows.

Maya, David, and Jennifer respond

Each reacts based on your transparency, your timing, and whether they feel consulted or blindsided.

Navigate alignment conversations

Each reply either builds consensus or creates a gap between what people expect and what you can deliver.

See the outcome

Maya gets a development plan that’s honest, or a promise that can’t be kept, or a feeling that the decision was made without her.

Get your debrief

A personalized coaching assessment: how you managed competing perspectives and what your approach reveals about your leadership style.

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Maya’s future is in motion

Your Director sees potential. Your Team Lead sees risk. Maya sees opportunity. The question isn’t whether Maya can lead — it’s whether you can navigate the conversation that decides her path without making promises you can’t keep.

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