Planning ahead for a seamless leadership transition
10/2/2000
No one is immortal—not even a chief executive officer. But there's a natural tendency, say the authors of CEO Succession, for incumbent CEOs and their boards to avoid thinking about the complicated and delicate succession process. Companies that don't want to be caught off guard, they write, should grapple with the myriad issues of choosing their next CEO up front, in a clear, organized and timely manner. Ogden and Carey, the cochairman and vice chairman of executive search firm Spencer Stuart, provide board members and current CEOs with a solid platform for this process. Drawing on personal interviews and their own behind-the-scenes work with CEOs and company directors, they present ideas, real-world examples and a series of checklists to help companies plan for a seamless leadership transition.