CEO succession is more critical today than ever before as the global business environment now demands far greater leadership and governance from a company's board of directors, its CEO, and its executive team. Yet, over the past several years, we have witnessed a growing number of CEOs failing early in their terms, and in many instances, with devastating consequences to their companies and stockholders.
There are a number of reasons for such a high failure rate in leadership, although the one cause common to almost every failed leadership transition is the lack of ownership of the CEO succession process.
RHR, which as a firm is comprised entirely of consulting psychologists, understands the unrevealed realities of human behavior and motivation, such as factors of ego, role-relationships, power, and human dynamics associated with relinquishing leadership, preparing successors, and ceding power and authority to other people. These often-overlooked phenomena create undetected problems in the succession process and ultimately cause many CEOs to fail early in their tenures.
To be effective, CEO succession requires a well-defined course of action that ensures a supply of highly capable candidates are ready to assume the chief executive position whether through an unexpected event or a planned transition. Inside CEO Succession is offered to help boards comprehensively manage that process and effectively sustain their company's success. Dr. Thomas J. Saporito, CEO of RHR International, and Dr. Paul Winum, senior partner of RHR International, have authored a seminal work that expertly combines years of business practice with a deep comprehension of human and organizational behavior and motivation, making Inside CEO Succession a highly informed work that blends business acumen and psychological insight.