Many organizations have a succession plan. Far fewer have a succession culture. A plan usually identifies potential replacements for a few important positions. A culture continually develops people throughout the organization so that leadership transitions do not create unnecessary disruption. The difference becomes clear when someone leaves. If the organization immediately begins searching for a…
Insights
Make Succession a Present Discipline
Leaders often treat succession as a future event. It is better understood as a current operating practice. Succession is happening whenever a leader shares context, develops judgment, distributes relationships, documents a critical process, or gives someone else the opportunity to lead a consequential meeting. It is happening whenever the team learns to solve a problem…
Charisma Is Not Character: Why Leaders Must Be Formed
Charisma can attract followers. Only character can sustain their trust. We’ve been duped. Somewhere along the way, charisma became a shortcut for leadership. We started mistaking presence for purpose, confidence for competence, and volume for vision. Now we are promoting performers instead of stewards. We are hiring for energy instead of integrity. We are building teams around personalities instead of principles. That is not merely misguided. It is dangerous. Charisma can open a door,…
Authority Is Borrowed
On December 23, 1783, George Washington appeared before Congress in Annapolis and resigned his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army. In his brief address, he described the work assigned to him as completed and surrendered the authority Congress had entrusted to him. Washington did not diminish his leadership by walking away from…
Development Requires More Than Training
You cannot build a leadership bench through training alone. Courses can introduce useful ideas. Books can provide perspective. Mentors can offer guidance. But leaders are formed by carrying real responsibility. Too often, organizations say they want to develop people while experienced leaders continue making every important decision. Emerging leaders attend workshops, but they are rarely…