Have you ever seen a mother come up and smooth the hair of her older teenager, to the chagrin and irritation of the teen, who says, "Come on, Mom, I'm not a kid anymore." It's an awkward moment: The parent has failed to recognize that overseeing her child's appearance, once a good practice, is now inappropriate.
It is common sense that parents must adapt and change their roles as children grow up. But what about CEOs, who may be hired for one task, but face an entirely different one years or even months later?
The secret to long-term CEO success, suggests David Nadler, a consultant to boards and senior executives, is conceiving of a CEO's tenure as a performance with a series of distinct acts. "Each act requires the CEO to lead, think and behave in fundamentally different ways. The successful ones are those who are able to make the transitions," Nadler said during his presentation at the 11th annual Wharton Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Center for Leadership and Change Management, the Center for Human Resources and Wharton Executive Education. The theme of the conference was "Developing Leadership Talent."
According to Nadler's model, a CEO's tenure follows a "natural arc," which begins when the CEO takes the stage, prepared or not for his or her new role, and has to solve the problems presented. "In almost every CEO succession I've seen, it isn't a case of, 'Here's the company; it's going great, don't screw it up.' Usually there is some crisis or strategic challenge, and the CEO's job is to figure out how to respond." Often, says Nadler, a CEO may be hired precisely because he or she is perceived to be strong in the area where the company most needs help, whether that be changing the culture or bringing innovation.
"The problem comes after the CEO solves that first issue; then it is act two and something else is needed," he says.
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