117: Succession Planning

Guests: Jeff Keesel (Outgoing CEO, Restaurant Technologies) & Alyssa Partee (Incoming CEO, Restaurant Technologies) Episode Summary This episode tackles one of the most requested topics from restaurant operators: succession planning. Not the glossy version, but the real one where founders have to look in the mirror and ask, "Am I still the right person to lead this business?" Jeff Keesel shares his 21-year journey building Restaurant Technologies and the intentional process of transitioning leadership to Alyssa Partee, who spent four years building the people and culture infrastructure before stepping into the CEO role. Key Takeaways 1. Don't Fall in Love with Yesterday What got you here won't get you there. Change readiness and adaptability are essential. The business that worked last week might need a different approach this week. 2. Start Succession Planning Before You Think You Need To Jeff began thinking about succession before their 2022 sale process concluded. The first question from the new board: "Are you going to continue as CEO into your late 60s and early 70s?" That conversation accelerated everything. 3. Look Inside Before Looking Outside They spent 18 months interviewing external candidates before realizing the right leader was already in the building. Internal successors bring institutional knowledge, cultural alignment, and established trust that external hires can't replicate. 4. Develop Leaders by Treating Them as They Should Be Jeff's philosophy: "I'll treat you as you should be, not as you think you are." The most talented people rise to higher expectations. Throw them in the deep end with a safety net. 5. Collaborative Tension Builds Better Decisions Jeff and Alyssa want the same outcomes but often disagree on how to get there. That healthy tension, grounded in trust and transparency, produces better decisions than constant agreement. 6. Hire for Grit Jeff's go-to interview question: "What's the hardest thing you've had to overcome? How'd you do it? What'd you learn?" People who have overcome real struggles bring resilience that can't be taught. 7. The Transition Should Be Invisible When they announced the change internally, the response was cheers and excitement. No surprises. The team had watched Jeff and Alyssa work side by side for years. Where Jeff was, Alyssa was. The handoff felt natural because it had been happening gradually all along. Timestamps [00:00] Introduction: Why succession planning matters for independent restaurant owners [03:15] Jeff's story: When succession planning became real [08:42] The external search: 18 months of interviews and what they learned [14:30] Alyssa's journey from CPO to operations to CEO [21:15] Collaborative tension: How healthy disagreement builds better leadership [28:00] Identifying grit in the hiring process [35:45] How to know when your organization is ready for change [42:30] The emotional side of stepping back as a founder [48:00] Advice for restaurant owners: What Jeff and Alyssa wish they'd known earlier   Questions for Reflection Who are you developing right now? And do they know it? If you stepped away tomorrow, would your business survive without you? Are you building something that can outlast your daily involvement? When was the last time you had healthy tension with a leadership partner that led to a better decision? Resources Mentioned Episode 90: Alyssa Partee on "Do You Know Your Business Well Enough to Change It?" Book: Multi-Unit Mastery by Christin Marvin (free copy at IRFBook.com) Connect Christin Marvin: christinmarvin.com/contact Restaurant Technologies: restauranttechnologies.com About the Podcast The Restaurant Leadership Podcast coaches independent multi-unit restaurant operators to build systems that drive profitability and reclaim time, so they can scale with confidence and spend their energy where they want to, not where they have to.