The top leadership team’s role isn’t just to execute the CEO’s goals—it’s to optimize the enterprise’s ability to succeed.
CEOs often conflate the team’s purpose with hitting targets like increasing sales or cutting costs, but its unique mission lies in balancing ambition with pragmatism.
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Viewed in BCG As corporate leadership becomes more complex, the demands on CEOs intensify. Managing both strategic focus and day-to-day operations can be overwhelming. However, successful CEOs are finding a powerful solution: appointing a Chief of Staff (CoS) to enhance their leadership and drive organizational success. Why a Chief of Staff? A CoS is far… More
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Viewed in BCG The article stresses the urgent need for CEOs to prioritize cybersecurity as a critical business issue. With increasing regulations and sophisticated cyber threats, CEOs can no longer delegate cybersecurity solely to IT departments. Key actions for CEOs include ensuring the organization is prepared for potential cyber attacks, understanding the financial and reputational… More
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Viewed in Egon Zehnder In today’s volatile business environment, investing in senior sales leaders is crucial for organizational success. As described by the authors, senior sales leaders face unprecedented challenges such as shifting customer behaviors, inflation, talent shortages, and accelerated digitization. Evolving Sales Leadership These leaders must evolve from merely managing sales to becoming holistic… More
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Viewed in BCG A senior leadership team’s alignment and agility are crucial to a CEO’s success. When cohesive, this team effectively executes the CEO’s vision, but dysfunction can severely hinder organizational performance. Talented individuals alone do not guarantee team success. The challenge lies in transitioning from leading a business unit to functioning as part of… More
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Viewed in Axios AI is reshaping corporate boards, with many companies appointing AI bots as observers and integrating technology into their board strategy. This shift reflects a growing focus on AI among large corporations, evident in repeated mentions during 2024 earnings calls. However, despite this emphasis, most boards lack the expertise to effectively guide AI… More
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Viewed in Spencer Stuart New CEOs aiming to establish high-performing executive teams face a pivotal task that can significantly impact organizational success. The authors’ Research shows that cohesive leadership teams correlate with accelerated revenue growth and increased profitability. However, building such teams requires decisive action and a clear vision from new CEOs. Decisive actions While… More
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Viewed in Russell Reynolds The inaugural Global CEO Turnover Index Annual Report for 2023 provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of CEO leadership, with implications for businesses in 2024 and beyond at public companies. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced CEO turnover trends, causing a decline in departures during 2020 and 2021. A five-year high… More
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Viewed in Russell Reynolds The role of the COO has evolved into a more strategic position, making it a top contender for the CEO spot. This shift is driven by the digital landscape and sustainability expectations. Russell Reynolds Associates conducted a study on nearly a thousand COOs using Hogan psychometric tests, revealing some crucial insights…. More
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Viewed in McKinsey Amid a challenging economic environment and rapid changes, CEOs are seeking avenues for growth, and an effective partnership with their Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) can be the key. To understand the dynamics within high-growth and low-growth companies, a survey and interviews with C-level growth roles (including CMOs) and CEOs from various industries… More
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Viewed in Spencer Stuart The article from Spencer Stuart explores the critical role that Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) play in CEO succession planning and its overall impact on organizational success. The article emphasizes that CEO succession planning is a complex process that requires strategic alignment between the board of directors, the current CEO, and… More
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Viewed in McKinsey Effective CEO transitions play a critical role in maintaining organizational stability, driving performance, and shaping the company’s long-term success. This McKinsey article outlines a five-step approach for successful CEO transitions: Proactive planning: Boards should establish a formal succession planning process and regularly review potential internal and external candidates. By identifying and developing… More
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Viewed in Russell Reynolds Justus O’Brien and Dean Stamoulis, Managing Directors at Russell Reynolds Associates, advocate for leaders to embrace their imperfections and vulnerabilities in order to lead with greater effectiveness. Complexities and uncertainties The traditional ideal of a flawless CEO fails to acknowledge the complexities and uncertainties of leadership in today’s rapidly changing world…. More
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Viewed in Russell Reynolds With dozens of offices in over two dozen countries, it is fair to say that management consulting firm Russell Reynolds, founded in 1969, interacts with a vast number of chief executive officers. The management consulting behemoth observes in this article, authored by five Russell Reynolds professionals, that the demands on today’s… More
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Viewed in Spencer Stuart Global executive search firm Spencer Stuart’s expertise in executive and board searches is pretty much beyond reproach. Since its 1956 founding, it has grown to 57 offices in 30 countries and handled executive and board searches for some of global business’s most iconic brands (and even the U.S. government). Now in… More
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Viewed in McKinsey & Company The role of a chief executive officer in the 21st century is a challenging one. Looking for something even more challenging? That likely would be serving as a CEO for a private equity-owned portfolio company. More private equity-owned companies With private equity’s growing prevalence in corporate ownership, it is a… More
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Viewed in Spencer Stuart One of the many crucial roles of the corporate board is the successful management of CEO succession planning, and the task is becoming more complicated and more urgent in our evolving corporate world. Spencer Stuart, one of the world’s leading executive search firms, has long been a thought leader on this… More
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Viewed in Spencer Stuart As the Covid-19 pandemic enters its second year, one thing is abundantly clear: Not much is moving quickly, and much has slowed down. The traditional office environment has been disrupted, and so have the traditional business processes, including succession for corporate chief executives. CEO transitions fell in 2020 In this report… More
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Viewed in Fortune. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted vast damage on the global economy. Equally concerning, if history is any guide, this damage is not over yet. During the Spanish flu of 1918, for instance, it was the second wave of infections that ultimately proved the most deadly and damaging. This history has given rise… More
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Viewed in pwc.com. PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) is the second largest professional services firm in the world. The range of their interactions with companies and these companies’ leadership is vast, which makes their reports hugely valuable contributions to public knowledge of trends in the corporate world and in the economy as a whole. PwC’s annual survey… More
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