People Management Systems
Successor Development
With business becoming more complex, Boards of Directors routinely charter the CEO to develop their own internal successor.
Learning the specifics of the business and acquiring the external contacts and relationships are best mentored by the CEO. However, we can be a resource that your organization can't provide.
Learning "how to be a CEO," isn't accomplished by attending a two week training course. It's a series of developmental activities and experiences that provide the internal compass to manage a business unit. More important it's the vision and people management skills that determine the difference between success and failure.
Traditionally, the CEO's internally developed successor will come from a function like Finance or Sales or a less complex business unit. Not necessarily an individual with a balanced management approach who has an inventory of subordinate management techniques to try. Usually, an individual with a number of strong skills but one or more weak and at present fatal flaws.
Our approach to developing people almost guarantees success. It is individualized and designed to focus those involved in systematically modifying their skills. Possibly more important, we will work with your successor over time. We build a relationship, and give them both the confidence to try new approaches and a mentor available at all times to assist in acquiring, developing, and refining new management skills.
The Boards expectations are sometimes reasonable - sometimes not. There are advantages to both the current CEO and the successor to out sourcing help in successor development.
Balancing Family and Business Create the Culture Define & Develop the Legacy