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March 2008
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Solving the Succession Crisis: A Leadership Apprenticeship Model
EO turnover has increased sharply in recent years. CEOs are failing sooner, leaving companies in turmoil. Today's companies are short on quantity and quality of potential leaders. When a company fails to produce the leaders it needs, executives are recruited from the outside - a move that's risky, difficult and more costly.
A New Approach
Ram Charan outlines a remedy for the leadership crisis in his recent book, Leaders at All Levels. His Apprenticeship Model concludes:
- Not everyone can become a leader. No amount of classroom instruction can supply leadership qualities. We can recognize future leaders if we know what to look for.
- Leadership ability is developed through practice and self-correction. People who have the right talent can accelerate their growth as long as each new job assignment helps them build their core capabilities and acquire new ones, provided they're given timely and precise feedback.
- The CEO job requires giant leaps in learning. Leaders will not be prepared to lead large companies unless each job experience is much more complex than the one before.
Early Recognition of Leadership Talent
Companies must ensure that potential leadership talent is spotted early and developed thoroughly. Those with high potential to succeed at the highest levels should be:
- Allowed to spread their wings early
- Encouraged to move in big leaps
- Given a variety of challenges tailored to their particular strengths and developmental needs
- Closely watched to see which talents prove reliable
- Observed for limitations that may be emerging
- Given ongoing feedback on every aspect of leadership
- Given feedback on business and people issues by leaders with business savvy who are close to the everyday work environment
The following assessment tool will identify strengths and deficits in your company's leadership development capabilities.
Does Your Company Know How to
Develop Leaders for the Highest Levels?
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Rate your company on a scale from 1 to 10 |
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1. |
Developing other executives is an important part of every leader's job at my company. Leaders are expected to devote considerable energy and
a minimum of 20% of their quality time to this task. |
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| 2. |
Leaders who identify and develop other leaders are rewarded and recognized for doing so. |
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Bosses regularly coach leaders on the one or two most important areas in which they need to improve, such as specific aspects of business acumen or relationship skills. |
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Evaluations, to be conducted at least once a year, consider not just what the leader achieved, but also how and under what circumstances. |
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Leaders pool their insights to determine how a junior leader may develop and where he/she should go next. |
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The most promising leaders often receive more challenging assignments that may be far outside their demonstrated area of expertise. |
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Leaders on development paths aren't kept waiting for job openings. They receive challenging new assignments as soon as they're ready for them, or even
just before. |
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Assessments of leaders' talents are precise, balanced and complete. They are separate from annual performance appraisals. |
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| 9. |
The leadership development process is as consistent and rigorous as those for business items like revenues, margins or cash. |
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HR ensures leaders at all levels actively develop other leaders and plan their succession. HR provides useful input to help up-and-coming leaders and
their bosses find the right job fit. |
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Spotting the Right Leadership DNA
Young executives who are smart, creative and financially adept command attention and respect. They combine their mental abilities with a strong work ethic and drive to achieve. They often get promoted quickly, but they may actually lack the right leadership traits.
The best performers are usually the most visible, but they don't necessarily have leadership essentials. Many execs confuse the two issues and identify the wrong people as high potential.
As with DNA, two strands of a double helix fuel business leaders' inner engine:
- People acumen: the ability to harness others' energy
- Business acumen: understanding how a business makes money
When future leaders are in their 20s, these strands are already in place.
Managing the Apprenticeship System
Few companies systematically compile useful information about their leadership resources. They have formal routines for collecting financial data and other indicators, but not for leadership development - the very foundation of business success.
Here are the criteria for managing the Apprenticeship Model:
- Continually revisit the criteria and methods for identifying leadership talent to remain attuned to external changes
- Assign individuals with leadership talent to a sequence of challenging work that builds capabilities while meeting current organizational needs
- Provide rigorous feedback to speed leaders' development
- Increase each leader's visibility within the company to solidify his or her connection with the business and allow other leaders to get to know the individual in depth
- Recognize and reward the best performers and adjust the talent tracks for those who fail to meet the standards
- Periodically report on the numbers and types of leaders at various levels and assess any current or anticipated gaps
Keep the board informed about the strength of the company's leadership bench, expose board members to leaders several tiers below the CEO, and help members get to know succession candidates in depth.
Take Charge of Your Own Career
Even if a company doesn't institute an Apprenticeship Model, individual leaders can and should embrace the concept. Leaders who believe they have undiscovered high potential should take charge of their own learning and development.
Leaders should be aware of their specific talents and whether they're being fully utilized and developed. If companies are underutilizing them, they should actively seek environments where their talents can be used, recognized, encouraged and developed.
Identifying your potential requires introspection and brutal honesty. Functional expertise becomes less important than other leadership capabilities as you rise higher in a company.
This work is best done with an experienced executive coach who can help you find the optimal developmental opportunities and mentors within your organization.
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The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding your personality into the person you want to be. . . . Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others
- Wilfred Peterson
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Chip Scholz is Head Coach of Scholz and Associates, a firm dedicated to putting the WOW back in your work and life.
Business owners rely on Chip to be their coach and personal consultant, taking their life and their work to the client defined next level.
Contact Chip for a free get acquainted call:
Chip Scholz
Scholz and Associates, Inc.
Phone: 704-987-0195
Cell: 704-400-6926
chip@scholzandassociates.com
www.scholzandassociates.com.
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