Even at the most respected companies that follow meticulous succession processes, well-suited candidates may not even make it into the shortlist because they get overshadowed by “safe” or “chosen” candidates, according to a Harvard Business Review report. The report identifies three reasons companies often pick the wrong leaders. Likability, it turns out, counts more than it should. Research shows that highly decisive leaders are 12 times more likely to excel as CEOs, but they tend to ruffle feathers. Their performance reviews might include statements such as "doesn't play nice in the sandbox" and "needs to soften her approach." Click for article    

“While leadership styles vary from person to person,” writes Dan McCarthy, “great executives share a number of common, observable behaviors that support their success.” Take No. 10, for example: They regret not taking action on poor performers sooner.  Dennis Rethmeier, CEO of Western Pump in San Diego, plans to talk more about that particular subject on a panel called "What Worked ... and What I'd Never Do Again" during the 2019 PEI Young Executives Winter Conference in Long Beach, California.  “Get rid of the bad attitudes in your business as soon as you spot them. They are like a cancer and will infect your good people,” Rethmeier said. “Don’t hold on to mediocre employees.” The PEI Young Executives Winter Conference will be Feb. 6-8. For more information and to register, click here.  Click for article  

Allen Adamson, co-founder and managing partner of disruptive marketing and product consultancy Metaforce, writes in a CEO magazine blog that the best leaders embrace changing technologies and markets. Those leaders, according to Adamson’s interviews with 100 executives who have weathered various industry disruptions, possess three main characteristics:  Peripheral vision The ability to see and seize The understanding that “success is never final.” Click for article