Transitions at the Top – What Organizations Must Do to Make Sure New Leaders Succeed

<p>Preface xiii</p>
<p>Acknowledgements xix</p>
<p>Introduction 1</p>
<p>The Transition Challenge 3</p>
<p>The Roots of Failure 7</p>
<p>Complexity 7</p>
<p>Thinking Errors 8</p>
<p>Execution Errors 9</p>
<p>Roles for Success 11</p>
<p>The Board s Role 11</p>
<p>The CEO s Role 13</p>
<p>The CHRO s Role 15</p>
<p>The Senior Managers Role 17</p>
<p>1 Complexity and Critical Crossroads 21</p>
<p>Complexity 25</p>
<p>Individual Adjustments 25</p>
<p>CEO 25</p>
<p>Board 27</p>
<p>CHRO 29</p>
<p>Senior Managers 32</p>
<p>Systemic Adjustments 34</p>
<p>Strategic 34</p>
<p>Operational 36</p>
<p>Political 39</p>
<p>Cultural 41</p>
<p>Summary 45</p>
<p>2 Three Destructive Myths 47</p>
<p>Myths Plaguing Transitions at the Top 56</p>
<p>Myth 1: People Join Companies All the Time It s No Big Deal 58</p>
<p>Myth 2: Our Job Is Done When the One We Want Says Yes 62</p>
<p>Myth 3:We Know What He Can Do 65</p>
<p>How Transition Myths Bar Productive Thinking 71</p>
<p>Lack of Empathy 71</p>
<p>Lack of Learning 73</p>
<p>Lack of Questioning 74</p>
<p>Leaving Tough Questions Unanswered 76</p>
<p>Summary 79</p>
<p>3 Errors of Execution 81</p>
<p>Relationship between Incumbent and Successor 85</p>
<p>Preparing for Only One Transition 90</p>
<p>The Leader Who Departs 90</p>
<p>Derivative Defections 93</p>
<p>Mismanaging the Transition Process 96</p>
<p>Not Organizing and Interpreting the Right Information 96</p>
<p>How Things Really Get Done 97</p>
<p>Culture and Power Structure 98</p>
<p>Power and Influence 104</p>
<p>Not Preparing Major Players for the Right Roles 106</p>
<p>Mishandling the Onboarding of the New Leader 109</p>
<p>Summary 114</p>
<p>4 The Board s Role 117</p>
<p>Directors as Major Players 121</p>
<p>Oversight for the Transition 127</p>
<p>Managing Relationships 134</p>
<p>Judging Performance 143</p>
<p>Expectations 146</p>
<p>Cultural and Political Attention 148</p>
<p>Summary 150</p>
<p>5 The CEO s Role 153</p>
<p>Controlling the Steps and Pace 157</p>
<p>Role 158</p>
<p>The Search and the Transition 162</p>
<p>Ensuring Other Players Do What They Must 166</p>
<p>Self–Management and Self–Awareness 171<br /><br />Summary 177</p>
<p>6 The CHRO s Role 179</p>
<p>Great Senior Staffing Support 185</p>
<p>Help for the New Leader 192</p>
<p>What the New Leader Must Do 192</p>
<p>Learning 193</p>
<p>Visioning 194</p>
<p>Coalition Building 196</p>
<p>Methods and Mechanisms for Relationships 198</p>
<p>Connecting 201</p>
<p>Listening 203</p>
<p>Summary 210</p>
<p>7 The Senior Manager s Role 215</p>
<p>Shaping Organization Opinion 220</p>
<p>Delivering Support 227</p>
<p>Building Winning Relationships 234</p>
<p>Summary 241<br /><br />8 Summary 245</p>
<p>Index 253</p>