Through interviews with the CEOs of some of South Africa's top companies, we examine the making of a leader -- from early development through acquiring key skills and ultimately transitioning into a strategic role, with a focus on the unique challenges facing the South African CEO.
The modern organization must be equipped to adapt to new technologies and shifting economies at a much faster pace than ever before. We outline some of the hallmarks of a company that is prepared for rapid change.
Suggestions on how boards can develop stronger insights in assessing the ability of executives to take on greater leadership roles.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts CEO Frits van Paasschen discusses the process of building an organization with global reach that draws on unique talent and culture from around the world.
The CEO no longer stands alone at the top. Learn how a complex system relying on the talents of advisors and executives helps the modern chief executive keep a large organization running smoothly.
Five reasons why strong leadership candidates may make damaging mistakes once they assume the role, and how to anticipate these pitfalls before they occur.
With Point of View, we share our ideas and insights on some of the most critical leadership issues affecting our clients.
Each year, Spencer Stuart tracks CEO transitions among S&P 500 companies. These transitions can be part of a planned succession or can arise unexpectedly, the result of a company or personal crisis. In addition to cataloguing the reasons for CEO departures, based on company reporting, we also examine information about the successors, including their ages, whether or not they are internal candidates and whether they have been appointed chairman of the board in addition to CEO.
The case for a new, more rigorous succession planning approach that is both more analytical and more forward-looking than the processes most boards employ today.
In a video interview, Dayton Ogden, leader of Spencer Stuart's CEO Succession Advisory Services, speaks with Corporate Board Member magazine about the rigor boards should be applying to their succession planning process.
Polish CEOs talk about overcoming the barriers to leadership.
With Point of View, we share our ideas and insights on some of the most critical leadership issues affecting our clients.
Why are some companies more open to a non-national leader than others?
An examination of the circumstances that led to private equity CEO transitions in Europe over the past eight years, and the implications for the industry.
Three steps for managing how you react to volatility — and becoming a more effective leader.
The best leaders aren’t found by looking for that one perfect person. Organizations get the leaders they need when they identify the demands of their situation, and create a process designed to locate the person who best fulfills those requirements.
Findings from a panel discussion of the importance of a succession strategy to the continuing prosperity of a company, and the social obstacles that companies in India need to overcome to develop an effective plan, especially in family-run businesses.
A detailed study of insider and outsider CEO transitions in the top listed companies in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
This article argues that studying leadership using models that acknowledge this complexity will enable us far more accurately understand the causes of professional success.
A study of CEO transitions in FTSE 150 companies over the five-year period between 2004-8. Our research shows that a blanket declaration that either insiders or outsiders as a group are the best way forward is no longer sufficient.
Most business leaders can take only so much pressure before their performance slides. Yet some CEOs deliver their greatest successes when times get toughest. How do they do it?
Identifying the three traits that every CEO needs to realize their potential and that of their people in today’s turbulent environment.
Heightened anxiety has long been shown to dramatically impair people’s ability to think. But in today’s business environment of unrelenting pressure, aspiring leaders must learn how to confront heightened urgency without allowing mental agitation to be disruptive. This article examines how leaders can develop this quality in both themselves and their people.
Changes in Britain's boards of directors from 1960 to 2010.
A look at the developments that are likely to shape the leadership requirements for the CEO of the future.
What are the common challenges boards are encountering in their succession planning processes and the best practices for overcoming them?
A special issue of Point of View focusing on today’s board and CEO agenda.
An article published in the Harvard Business Review reveals that the relative performance of internal versus external CEO candidates varies depending on whether a company is healthy or in crisis.
New leadership opportunities for senior finance executives in Central and Eastern Europe.
How the recession has changed the focus and priorities of luxury business leaders, from the perspective of over 60 CEOs, general managers and industry observers around the world.
It’s easy for directors to lose sight of top corporate objectives in a downturn. Here's a reminder of where priorities really lie.
Insights and advice from CEOs who have made the transition
Our roundtables bring together leading figures of Indian business to discuss critical issues and trends that affect them and the future health of their organisations.
Lanxess CEO Axel Heitmann talks about his experience leading the Bayer spinoff.
The growing trend to fire CEOs quickly raises the question of when they should be let go.