Leadership transitions

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 […]

IQ and EQ aren't enough.

Dear President-elect Obama, Congratulations. Your election as President represents a nearly ideal opportunity for you to make a successful transition into the most powerful leadership role in the world. Thanks to your predecessor, the nation is in crisis. While crisis situations are hard, they vastly simplify the work of new leaders like you. The (ironic) […]

From the mailbag: “I’ve been promoted, what are the biggest mistakes I need to avoid?” You are right to focus on avoiding early mistakes. Promotions are periods of great vulnerability because you lack detailed knowledge of what it will take to be successful in your new role. If you don’t build momentum during your first […]

Focus on the big picture, not just the execution.

This post is part of our in-depth look at Obama's First 90 Days in office. What a difference a few days can make to the trajectory of a transition. At...

On average, their value-add tends to decline after an IPO.

A female executive considers whether a staff job is a dead end or the next step to becoming CEO. This fictional case study by Anne Donnellon, Joshua D....

As the chairman of a publicly traded multinational corporation, it's difficult to contemplate replacing a charismatic, visionary CEO who tripled your...

A responsible leader prepares for succession.

Innovation is now the be-all and end-all in every industry.

“I get completely caught up in fire-fighting and can’t find the time to advance my longer-term priorities.” This is a common managerial lament, the frustration you feel when the urgent crowds out the important. It’s particularly difficult for leaders making transitions into new roles – because there is so much to learn and do – […]

Your shortlist probably needs to be longer.

Leaders in transition reflexively rely on the skills and strategies that worked for them in the past. That's a mistake, says Watkins, whose research shows...

Do you give them the dirt?

Congratulations to Thomas P Cambell, who was this week named as the new director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Described as 'the outsider-insider'...

Reframe your company's past in a way that creates advantages for the present.

The family rolodex doesn't necessarily pass from one generation to the next.

Moving from a big company to a small one is an exciting step for many successful managers. But some of the habits that made you successful in a larger company may prove destructive at a small one. Whether you are founding or joining a small company, here are some ideas to keep in mind to […]