One WORKSHOPS.

ONE LEADERSHIP PIPELINE.

Build YOUR Bench. Own YOUR Future.

Two companion keynote and workshop experiences from Hall of Fame speakers Meridith Elliott Powell and Dr. Mary Kelly—one designed for the leaders responsible for succession planning, and one designed for the talent they're planning around.

THE BIG BUSINESS CHALLENGE

Your Leadership Pipeline Is Only as Strong as Your Bench.

Every organization faces the same leadership challenge:

Find the talent. Develop the talent. Prepare the talent.

And today, succession planning has moved from a long-term consideration to an immediate business priority.

In less than three years, every Baby Boomer will be eligible to retire—taking experience, skills and confidence with them that will be difficult to replace.

At the same time, 74% of the generations behind the Boomers say they are unprepared to lead in today's marketplace.

The result?

One of the biggest talent gaps businesses have ever faced.

And this challenge doesn't stop at the C-suite.

To win in today's marketplace, organizations need every level of the organization engaged in building a culture of succession.

Why Book Both

Who Comes Next? gets leaders thinking clearly about the bench. You Next gets the bench thinking clearly about themselves. Booked together as a leadership-development day or a two-part series, they close the succession gap from both ends at once — and give every attendee, from the C-suite to individual contributors, a book and a framework that speaks directly to their seat at the table.

Customers say

Customers find the book to be a valuable resource for succession planning, providing many beneficial ideas and addressing both mindset and process aspects. They appreciate its simplicity, with one customer noting how brilliantly it lays out the process, and consider it a must-read.

Who Comes Next

Building a Deep Culture of Succession

The Problem This Solves

Most organizations treat succession planning like a fire drill — something to think about only after a key leader announces they're leaving. By then, it's too late to do it well. Future Ready reframes succession from an HR document into a living leadership culture, using the same practical framework Meridith Elliott Powell and Dr. Mary Kelly built in Who Comes Next?

You Next

A Step-by-Step Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career & Life

The Problem This Solves

Organizations spend heavily on succession planning at the top — and almost nothing preparing the talent underneath it to actually step up. You Next flips the lens from the organization to the individual, giving rising talent the same kind of practical, step-by-step ownership over their career that leaders are being asked to take over succession.

Date and Time: October 2, 2026, 12 EST