Transitions at the Top

DAN CIAMPA is an advisor on CEO transitions, operations improvement, culture change, and top-level organization for implementing new strategies. He was chairman and CEO for Rath & Strong, Inc., and named by Businessweek as among the top five CEO advisors. He is author of four other books, including Right from the Start, with Michael Watkins. For more on his background, see www.danciampa.com. DAVID L. DOTLICH, PHD, is president of Pivot Leadership, a Korn Ferry company, and is an advisor and coach to CEOs and boards of companies such as Telstra, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Ericsson, and DPDHL. He is an entrepreneur who has started, grown, and sold two large companies and is a former executive vice president of Honeywell International. He is the author of 12 books on leadership and has been named one of the Top 50 Coaches in the United States.

• Preface xiiiAcknowledgements xixIntroduction 1The Transition Challenge 3The Roots of Failure 7Complexity 7Thinking Errors 8Execution Errors 9Roles for Success 11The Board’s Role 11The CEO’s Role 13The CHRO’s Role 15The Senior Managers’ Role 171 Complexity and Critical Crossroads 21Complexity 25Individual Adjustments 25CEO 25Board 27CHRO 29Senior Managers 32Systemic Adjustments 34Strategic 34Operational 36Political 39Cultural 41Summary 452 Three DestructiveMyths 47Myths Plaguing Transitions at the Top 56Myth 1: People Join Companies All the Time…It’s No Big Deal 58Myth 2: Our Job Is Done When the OneWeWant Says “Yes” 62Myth 3:We Know What He Can Do 65How TransitionMyths Bar Productive Thinking 71Lack of Empathy 71Lack of Learning 73Lack of Questioning 74Leaving Tough Questions Unanswered 76Summary 793 Errors of Execution 81Relationship between Incumbent and Successor 85Preparing for Only One Transition 90The Leader Who Departs 90Derivative Defections 93Mismanaging the Transition Process 96Not Organizing and Interpreting the Right Information 96HowThings Really Get Done 97Culture and Power Structure 98Power and Influence 104Not PreparingMajor Players for the Right Roles 106Mishandling the Onboarding of the New Leader 109Summary 1144 The Board’s Role 117Directors asMajor Players 121Oversight for the Transition 127Managing Relationships 134Judging Performance 143Expectations 146Cultural and Political Attention 148Summary 1505 The CEO’s Role 153Controlling the Steps and Pace 157Role 158The Search and the Transition 162Ensuring Other Players Do What TheyMust 166Self-Management and Self-Awareness 171Summary 1776 The CHRO’s Role 179Great Senior Staffing Support 185Help for the New Leader 192What the New LeaderMust Do 192Learning 193Visioning 194Coalition Building 196Methods andMechanisms for Relationships 198Connecting 201Listening 203Summary 2107 The Senior Manager’s Role 215Shaping Organization Opinion 220Delivering Support 227BuildingWinning Relationships 234Summary 2418 Summary 245Index 253