What can derail a succession plan even when a firm has people who could eventually lead it?

In part two of Rob Brown’s conversation with Ira Rosenbloom of Optimum Strategies, they dig into two places succession often gets stuck: the expectations current partners place on their successors and the way partners are compensated.

Ira explains why future leaders need room to learn on the job, why partner compensation has to reinforce the firm’s priorities and why staff benefit from understanding the business behind the firm.

They also look beyond internal succession. Ira shares when firms should start assessing gaps in their leadership pipeline, why five years of planning is good but 10 is better and how operations and HR professionals can play a larger role in building the next version of the firm.

Missed part one? Start there for Ira’s case for beginning the succession process long before retirement.

IPA will host a live Q&A on Sept. 24. Rob and Chelsea will answer questions about the 2026 data and the leadership issues explored throughout the series. Set a reminder by clicking “Notify me,” then leave your question in the comments.

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