Every week, I review blogs and other publications that cover leadership development to find the very best leadership development posts. This week, you’ll find pointers to posts about the danger of ‘smooth’ CEO succession, setting hi pos up to fail, ditching command and control, and Dan McCarthy’s secret to becoming a better leader
From Reshmi Paul: Beware the “Smooth” CEO Succession
“This emphasis on having the transition go as smoothly as possible is a mistake. Consider the trouble it caused for one global company.”
From Gary Schmidt: Set Your High Potential Talent Up to Fail. Really.
“OK, so ‘fail’ may be a strong word, and I’m not advocating sabotage. What I mean by this advice is to stretch your high potentials’ learning capacity beyond their comfort and capability zones. Stretch it to where failure is an option. Ah – that changes the rules doesn’t it?”
From Aubrey Daniels: If You’re Looking for Future Leaders, Bury Command and Control
“If I stop to think about the number of hotel rooms I’ve stayed in throughout my career, it’s a bit mind-blowing. With nearly 40 years of consulting with clients, I’ve been in some of the finest hotels but it was not terribly uncommon to happen upon a room that was not quite ready for guests. While I’m sure the first reaction would be to blame housekeeping for the messy room, the truth is it’s probably not their fault. In fact the effect of blaming rarely solves the problem, nor does assuming the responsibility lie solely on the housekeeper.”
From Dan McCarthy: The Secret to Becoming a Better Leader
“For years now, I’ve been working with leaders helping them with their individual development plans. The general rule of thumb I’ve always used is to help the leader pick 3-4 things that they want and need to get better at. These can be strengths to leverage or weaknesses that are getting in the way of their success.”
