Adam Bryant, David Reimer

A company’s most powerful cultural signals aren’t communicated by talking points. They’re determined by who gets promoted and who receives outsized rewards. Yet compensation and bonus frameworks in most organizations are still based almost solely upon financial results. In an effort to rule out subjectivity, such plans emphasize — and often focus exclusively on — achieving numerical targets. This oversimplified focus on the what of … [ Read more ]

Revealing Leaders’ Blind Spots

There is very little overlap between the management areas leaders think they need to improve and the weaknesses identified by those they lead. Reconciling these differences will improve leaders and their organizations.

Incentives for a Strong Leadership Culture

Three key pay and performance metrics can help define and influence an organization’s values.

David Reimer, Adam Bryant, Harry Feuerstein

Our work with succession candidates indicates that a track record of grooming multiple effective leaders is an oft-overlooked measure of authentic leadership capability, yet a reliable predictor of C-suite performance. It is also a measure of self-awareness; people who rise quickly in an organization usually have bosses who are looking out for their best interests.

A leader who develops leaders is also more likely to … [ Read more ]

The Four X Factors of Exceptional Leaders

Understanding what differentiates a great leader from a good leader will help companies make the right choices for the top jobs.