Where Are Tomorrow's CEOs?

Companies are having a tough time filling the CEO pipeline. Some fear a succession crisis.

A long time ago, there was a predictable path to a CEO job at a big corporation.

⮕ Start by distinguishing yourself at a large company. Earn a reputation as a great salesperson, a great marketer, a great operations person, etc.

⮕ Get promoted into middle management, where you show your leadership promise, your loyalty to the firm, your ability to handle organizational politics.

⮕ Catch the eye of executives and start to be groomed (let’s retire that word for this context) prepared for an executive role. You may get put on rotational assignments to diversify your skill set. Maybe you even do a stint in a foreign market, running a sub-unit of the business.

⮕ Secure that C-suite role. CFO or COO, for example, puts you where you want to be.

⮕ Finally you’re in the right spot once the big kahuna announces his/her retirement. When the board starts looking for the successor, there you are, with a resume showing decades of proven service to the firm.

This idealized path is, of course, a relic.

Tod…