Succession: Mastering the Make-or-Break Process of Leadership Transition

Tichy draws on decades of experience working with CEOs on management succession for this in-depth guide, but neophytes beware: this is the graduate studies course, not Business 101. Backed up by ample details and examples, he makes a strong case for his specialty’s importance, which he calls the most “critical leadership assignment... that business leaders are obliged to make.” Tichy first shows how to get it right: across-the-board involvement, from the CEO to chief human resources officer, the board of directors, and trustees. From there, he shares stories of leadership transition successes like Ford and Boeing, and failures like Pfizer, Royal Dutch Shell, and J.C. Penney. His examples are skewed toward major corporations, although he does cover some noncommercial organizations and family-owned businesses, including the “gold standards” of those respective categories: the U.S. Special Operations Forces and S.C. Johnson & Sons. The book’s appendix is a handbook that includes an events calendar, leadership slate, and assorted employee evaluation forms. Casual readers may be deterred by the book’s bulk, which does not make for an easy read, but anyone who makes it through this dense text will be left with a strong foundation in succession planning. Agent: Robert Barnett, Williams & Connolly. (Nov.)