CEO/Executive readiness, succession, advisory

The beginning of a rigorous succession process starts with the end in mind: a Success Profile which creates clarity and insight about the organizational strategy, future needs, and resulting criteria for C-level selection. 90% of CEO failures can be traced back to a poor set of criteria. Boards and CEOs often begin the journey without clarity and alignment leading to costly mistakes. A powerful success profile mitigates risk, aligns stakeholders and builds a foundation successful selection.

The Future-Ready Success Profile Report and Evaluation Framework provide the guide for sourcing your slate of succession candidates. Using the Evaluation Framework as a rubric to score candidates and narrow the field, we evaluate three key categories: Behaviors, Business and Breadth. The result is a short-list of ready-next leaders for the C-level role.

Every leader identified as a potential successor to the CEO/C-Level role will have strengths to leverage, and gaps to close before they are ready for the seat. Moving from strong operating executive to stewardship of the company’s growth, value to shareholders, and culture-bearer is a significant step for even the most experienced leaders. Our deep expertise in preparing C-level leaders and transitioning CEOs into the role provides a playbook for individual development. Utilizing the Bates ExPI™ Assessment –we coach leaders to Engage, Align, Inspire and Motivate.

During the critical first years, your new CEO/C-Suite executive must build trust, credibility and vision to stabilize the company and drive the strategy. Our expert advisors reduce risk by creating a “safe zone” to talk through approaches, evaluate challenges and options, build their narrative to broad audiences, establish and manage board relationships and dynamics, evaluate and develop their executive team, and establish first-year initiatives, decisions and actions. If the former CEO remains involved as board chair, advisory supports how this relationship is established as effective and productive for the company.