LEADERS ALL HAVE ONE CRITICAL TASK, REGARDLESS OF THEIR INDUSTRY
This past week several things occurred that reminded me of a tip my friend Lou Briskman once gave me while we are working together on Georgetown Law’s Corporate Counsel Institute. Lou is the former General Counsel of Westinghouse, Aetna and CBS. He remarked to me: “Larry, a General Counsel’s number one job is to help identify his or her successor.”
I thought of Lou’s admonition because I am involved in helping identify my successor as President of our synagogue. Then I enjoyed a Zoom catch-up with an old CLE friend who talked about finding a potential successor to oversee and run her successful business as she contemplates retiring and selling her company.
Most leaders do not make time to identify those leadership traits that would help their successors thrive. Why? They are too busy actually performing their jobs. They are moving from one meeting to the next, from one project to the next, and from one analysis to the next.
Yet the identification of characteristics which would help define their successors and the identification of internal leaders who might be appropriate to succeed them are critical functions for any leaders who wish to see their companies or organizations prosper after they retire or move on to another position.
These issues are often far from the mind of current leaders. They frequently think “I don’t have to worry about that. That will be the job of the Search Committee. That will be the job of the Board of Directors. That will be the job of our CEO.”
Even if other people are formally charged with hiring your successor, it is incumbent upon you to provide input, to help prioritize desirable traits and to give guidance during the process.
Do you know the traits that you think your organization ought to most value in eventually seeking your successor? If not, I suggest that you think about it.
-Write them down
-Share them with key decision makers
-Ask people you trust if they agree with you
Those traits will vary depending upon the organization for which you work. We can all name universal characteristics that Search Committees value:
-Honesty and integrity
-Oral and written communication skills
-Interpersonal skills
-Planning abilities
-Analytical acumen
-Listening skills
-Humility
-Motivational abilities
-Prioritization skills
-Time management ability
These are common attributes that help define excellent leaders. However, it is important to think deeply about YOUR organization’s place in its industry, YOUR role, YOUR challenges and YOUR future when pondering the next leader or the next generation of leaders:
-Have you been mentoring younger leaders?
-Have you been challenging them to move outside their comfort zones?
-Have you been checking in with them on a consistent basis?
-Have you been including them in important conversations and meetings?
-Have you been asking them tough questions?
Only by working closely with the other and often younger leaders at your organization will you be able to accurately identify potential successors. As my friend Lou Briskman alerted me many years ago, that is a crucial aspect of your job as the leader!
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry