“I will continue to pretend my life will never end…” Paul Simon in “Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall”
Not engaging in proper corporate succession planning is the business equivalent of the words in Simon’s song about the human tendency of denial. In this month’s Leadership Guide Magazine, our editor Linda Hatcher looks at the practical ways leading companies are strategically planning for inevitable transitions.
In “An Old Indian Chief Reminder: Ensure Proper (Painless) Succession,” (CLICK HERE) the framework of succession planning is detailed. “Prepare yourself; it is later than you think,” says Hans Finzel, author of The Top 10 Mistakes Leaders Make. “Leaders should be preoccupied with visioning what their organizations should become and do in the future."
In “Fortune 500 Companies Integrate Leadership Development in Succession Planning,” (CLICK HERE), we identify the three areas of strategic planning used by Fortune 500 companies like Pepsi, Jet Blue, Staples, and Caterpillar. “Global organizations faced with fast paced change can no longer afford long, lengthy development of an heir apparent,” says Lori Powers Fancher in that article.
The third article is entitled “ Having a Passion for Your Work,” (CLICK HERE) by Fred A. Manske Jr., the former CEO of Purolator, Ltd. In this article, he talks about the critical need to have zeal for what you do as an occupation. He comments that, “People who love what they do will generally outperform those that find their work boring and unsatisfying.”
INSPIRING LEADERSHIP QUOTES by Michael Porter of Harvard Business School and author of “The Five Forces.”
The chief strategist of an organization has to be the leader - the CEO.
The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you are trying to accomplish.
The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they are mutually reinforcing.
P. S. As a reminder, our Leader Library contains hundreds of practical articles on how you can be a more effective, ethical leader.
