The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done

by Peter F. Drucker

The succession to the top decision is the most difficult because every such decision is a gamble. The only test of performance in the top position is performance in the top position—and there is very little preparation for it. What not to do is fairly simple. You don’t want a carbon copy of the outgoing CEO. If the outgoing CEO says, “Joe [or Mary] is just like me thirty years ago,” that’s a carbon copy—and carbon copies are always weak. Be a little leery, too, of the faithful assistant who for eighteen years has been at the boss’s side anticipating his or her every wish, but has never made a decision alone. By and large, people who are willing and able to make decisions don’t stay in the assistant role very long. Stay away, too, from the anointed prince. Nine times out of ten that’s a person who has managed to avoid ever being put in a position where performance is essential, measured, and where he or she might make a mistake. They are media events rather than performers. What are the positive ways to handle the succession decision? Look at the assignment. In this institution, what is going to be the biggest challenge over the next few years? Then look at the people and their performance. Match the need against proven performance.