James Collins and Jerry Porras examined many companies in the private sector that were distinguished from other excellent companies because they were able to project excellence over the generations. One of the distinguishing marks of these companies was the practice of developing leadership within. That leaves a lot of room for flexibility and change while staying constant on the long-term mission. To illustrate, Collins and Porras note that while Jack Welch is recognized as one of the very best CEOs of his generation, his predecessors had the same reputation in their times. In 2000 when he announced his retirement, there were three able successors at the ready, one got the job and the other two immediately took the helm in other major companies.
Succession planning is a lot more than just listing people.
2 Developing leadership potential is the CEO's responsibility. Ray Blunt, an executive with long public service in the military and federal agencies, writes that senior leaders must create a framework and schedule their own time to do the work of training future leaders. Succession planning is predicated on having a greater degree of diversity than is the case now within the State Education Department. Where we lack diversity, there is no alternative but to recruit for leadership positions outside. We must do better.