Leadership transitions

Most organizations aren’t prepared.

On this blog, I’ve speculated on the factors that lead to highly talented women dropping out of their once-chosen careers and thus not being available to take the next step, leading to one consequence that these folks are not available in the pool of candidates for top jobs. With this as backdrop, it was fascinating […]

J.C. Penney and its CEO Ron Johnson have parted ways. The news wasn’t terribly surprising as 2012 had been a challenging year: sales were down by $4.3B, the company lost close to $1B, and its stock price dropped by more than 50%. Despite Johnson’s and his supporters’ pleas of “give us more time,” Penney’s board […]

Here’s a tool to help you match your leadership strategy to your new business environment.

If you're trying to do your team's work for them, probably not.

New leaders must prove themselves quickly, but the quest for rapid results is inherently dangerous. Where are the traps, and how can managers avoid them?

Organizations need leaders, but the specific one might not matter.

Even for the most gifted individuals, the process of becoming a leader is an arduous, albeit rewarding, journey of continuous learning and self-development....

Many large companies fail to pay enough attention to their leadership pipelines and succession practices. That leads to excessive turnover at the top...

It's going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

In the transition to the Obama administration, I have been interviewed by old and new media about President-Elect Obama’s stimulus package, which I applaud for its focus on job creation through short-term infrastructure upgrades combined with longer term investments in technologies of the future. But I think that what Barack Obama could really change is […]

Advice from a veteran executive coach on building relationships and defusing land mines on your way to the corner office.

Fail to develop these at your peril.

Your shortlist probably needs to be longer.

While middle managers tend to align with the C-Suite, upper managers are often more resistant.

What a company with 120,000 employees learned about doing it well.

Between 2002 and 2004 the author was director of the Harvard Business School’s World Bank Leadership Program, an executive program for high-potential leaders at the bank. Since that time he has had no association with the institution. Dear Mr. Zoellick, Congratulations. Your appointment as president of the World Bank represents a nearly ideal opportunity to […]

Talent can be hard to scout when it’s family.

Here's how to decide.

Having read every posting and response so far in the debate, I see that everyone has naturally focused either on the moral and practical appropriateness of how much to pay, or on practical suggestions on how to pay. That is all very good when it comes to avoiding scandals and abuses, and will to some […]