The Fall 2023 issue of People + Strategy on rethinking work and the workplace features an article by Darren Overfield, Patrick Casseday, and Brad Winn outlining a systematic, research-based framework for leaders transitioning into new roles.
This framework has been refined over several years helping clients navigate a relentless VUCA environment. Constant chaos, historically high turnover rates, and persistent change increase the number of leadership transitions an organization must manage, with each transition causing further disruption to the business. The costs of poor transition management are unsustainable; in big companies and at senior levels, the costs can be staggering.
The investment in effective leadership transitions is only a fraction of these costs and the return can be substantial. Therefore, an effective executive transitioning program can be a competitive advantage that allows organizations to adapt to–and effectively manage–change, uncertainty, complexity, and disruption.
A world-class leadership transition process does not just focus on a leader’s first 90 or 100 days in a new role. Rather, a holistic approach to onboarding culminates in crafting a plan that charts the course for the leader’s on-going development based on a comprehensive progress assessment. This provides a data-based way for the new leader to calibrate wins in the new role and identify necessary course corrections in the context of successfully leading over the long term.
To illustrate the impact of this approach for successfully guiding leaders in transition, Darren, Patrick and Brad provide a real-world example within Schneider Electric, a global innovator in the digital transformation of energy management in homes and businesses.
Read the article, Transition Strategies to Overcome the High Cost of New-Leader Failure, and check out the rest of the fall issue here.
Special thanks to the Society for Human Resources Management for inviting Darren, Patrick, and Brad to share their perspective!
