“ It is often very difficult for a long-standing executive to assume a different , and strong , change-oriented stance if she or he was a significant part of the prior leadership . It is much easier in a situation that requires major transformation to have those changes made by a new
CEO from the outside , often surrounded by a few key other executives who share her or his drive for significant change ”
PEOPLE | CEO SUCCESSION
“ It is often very difficult for a long-standing executive to assume a different , and strong , change-oriented stance if she or he was a significant part of the prior leadership . It is much easier in a situation that requires major transformation to have those changes made by a new
CEO from the outside , often surrounded by a few key other executives who share her or his drive for significant change ”
John Kurtz Partner in the
Leadership Change &
Organization practice , Kearney
quickly learned by most smart executives , it is the “ ability to understand nuances and drive a change process that is the challenge ”.
But Kurtz tells Business Chief that increasingly Boards are discovering they and their CEOs have not done a thorough job in truly preparing for succession – with many firms failing to plan for truly diverse candidates and innovative approaches to ESG .
“ Gaps in this process have been exacerbated and become clear in COVID times as market and supply chain challenges have laid bare the gaps in many executives ’ readiness to take on the really complex environments that many companies are now facing ,” he says . “ Demand for deep knowledge of operations and supply chain has increased significantly in the last two years , especially in consumer products and manufacturing sectors .”
Tierney Remick , VC and Co-leader of Korn Ferry ’ s Global Board and CEO Practice also points to lack of readiness of internal candidates and to the new pivot in business as growing reasons why external candidates might be favoured today .
46 November 2022