Leadership transitions

Four questions to ask before you make a painful decision.

Don’t try to clone yourself.

Innovation is now the be-all and end-all in every industry.

People issues can make or break a deal.

“I get completely caught up in fire-fighting and can’t find the time to advance my longer-term priorities.” This is a common managerial lament, the frustration you feel when the urgent crowds out the important. It’s particularly difficult for leaders making transitions into new roles – because there is so much to learn and do – […]

This post is part of our in-depth look at Obama's First 90 Days in office. One of the core challenges of turnaround leadership is how much to share the...

On this blog, I’ve speculated on the factors that lead to highly talented women dropping out of their once-chosen careers and thus not being available to take the next step, leading to one consequence that these folks are not available in the pool of candidates for top jobs. With this as backdrop, it was fascinating […]

J.C. Penney and its CEO Ron Johnson have parted ways. The news wasn’t terribly surprising as 2012 had been a challenging year: sales were down by $4.3B, the company lost close to $1B, and its stock price dropped by more than 50%. Despite Johnson’s and his supporters’ pleas of “give us more time,” Penney’s board […]

Each week for the next three months, leadership transitions expert Michael Watkins will weigh in on the Obama administration’s transition. These posts–and dozens of additional resources–can be found on our special feature, Obama’s First 90 Days. Not since President Roosevelt arrived in the Oval office in the depths of the Great Depression has so much […]

Outsiders make more-drastic changes, but insiders make faster ones.

Most managers face a critical moment when they can no longer rely on their professional skills to climb the career ladder. They have to let go of everything...

Succession doesn’t end when a new CEO is hired.

It's complicated, but not impossible to manage.

During the past few months, two troubling fault lines have surfaced at Apple - one at the top and another at the bottom. Neither bode well for the future....

Dan Sestak has had an impressive career at packaged-foods giant NutriSelect. But with his latest promotion, has he bitten off more than he can chew?

It’s time for President Obama to stand and deliver. With the stimulus bill passed and the budget well on its way, the President has placed his early-win bets. They are, in rough order of priority: bank stabilization, financial regulation reform, job creation, foreclosure avoidance, and health care transformation. So far our new President has had […]

This post is part of our in-depth look at Obama's First 90 Days in office. What a difference a few days can make to the trajectory of a transition. At...

Here’s a leadership challenge for the ages. Let’s imagine that you were appointed to turn around a business that was in very deep trouble. It was awash in red ink, shedding employees like leaves in fall, at risk of losing its access to capital, and staffed by employees who were terribly demoralized. And let’s suppose […]

And why middle managers make or break your company.

Managing their energy, engaging their boards, and getting the right information.