I might remember the beach walk more vividly than the children holding my hands. They’re more likely to recall having just beaten their grandfather in a shoreline race only moments before – or maybe the stroll through the woods when we collected acorns. We planted those acorns that day, both literally and figuratively. We’ll track the growth of the baby oak trees each year while we make new investments in our evolving relationships. It’s a slow-motion succession plan.

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We plant seeds for tomorrow both at home and at work. At home, we enable the generational transmission of values and lifestyle. At work, we empower bench strength and business continuity. Unlike in families where you inherit your elders, the workplace is a venue where mentors and mentees get to choose each other.

The outgoing generation selects and develops their replacements while the incoming talent decides under whose wings they’d like to grow. It’s a high-stakes game of sorority rush where, ideally, each side ranks the other #1. The teacher’s favorite student is the student’s favorite teacher.

In a perfect world, the gradual titration from one to the next is seamless. One backs away while the other steps up. As we speak, Boomer leaders are handing over the reins to Gen-Xers who have been grooming for their chance to shape tomorrow for the past decade or two. The Xers are already identifying the Millennials who will follow in their footsteps or chart their own path. The Zs and the Alphas will have their turn soon.

The “hit by a bus” scenario often generates the fear of sudden absence, making leaders hesitant to talk about succession. Instead, a common-sense, proactive, and wide-angle perspective allows teams to make slow and deliberate choices about sustainability and continuity.

Whose hands are you holding?