Here’s to the winners! Now, let’s go plant some trees.
That wise philosopher, Anonymous, was asked when the best time was to plant a tree. “Thirty years ago,” said the Wise One. But the second best time is today.
There are glorious trees outside my home in Charlotte. Some of them have been there far more than thirty years. Those trees weren’t made. You can’t speed up the process. You have to give it time.
Trees are like robust leadership development systems, the kind that Chief Executive lauded in “40 Best Companies for Leaders 2013.” They don’t happen all at once. They grow slowly, over time.
Chief Executive listed the CEO for every top company on the list. But that CEO didn’t plant the leadership development program. The planting was done a long time ago.
So, praise the ancestors in those companies for their wisdom. Then look at your own leadership development. The picture may not be pretty.
Oh, sure, everyone says that leadership development and succession planning are important. According to the AMA in their report “Organizational Bench Strength and Succession Plans,” 71 percent of CEOs say it’s more important than ever. But …
But they must be really busy with other urgent things. Right Management asked more than 1200 executives a simple question: “Do you have future leaders identified for critical roles in your organization?” Here are the answers.
“Yes, for all critical roles    6%
Yes, for most but not all critical roles   17%
Yes, for some critical roles   55%
No, not for any critical roles   22%”
Seems like some folks have a little planting to do.
