The Leadership Decision Series
From leadership question to leadership decision.
Four guides. One connected decision discipline. Each stands on its own; together they follow the order in which a consequential leadership decision is best examined.
01
Recognise
The Leadership Question
Has your business outgrown its leadership?
A change in the business is often a change in the leadership question.
Start with the question →Why it matters
Growth, new ownership, an acquisition or a founder stepping back rarely announce themselves as leadership questions. They show up as slower decisions, blurred accountability or a capable person who no longer seems to fit.
Useful for
Founders, owners, family shareholders and boards at a point of growth or transition.
02
Define
The Leadership Mandate
What leadership does your next chapter require?
Before defining the leader, define the contribution.
Explore the guide →Why it matters
Role descriptions tend to inherit the logic of the predecessor or react against it. Both can narrow the future unnecessarily.
Useful for
Boards, owners and founders preparing a CEO or senior appointment, or redefining an existing role.
03
Understand
Potential for What?
A better way to assess leadership for what comes next.
Potential for what? And under what conditions?
Explore the guide →Why it matters
“High potential” is often used as if it were a property of a person. In practice, potential only has meaning relative to a specific contribution, in a specific context, under specific conditions.
Useful for
Boards, owners and executives evaluating internal or external candidates, or a management team against a new agenda.
04
Decide
The Leadership Decision Guide
Making a consequential appointment with greater clarity.
Which decision logic survives challenge — and which risks are we prepared to own?
Explore the guide →Why it matters
At the point of decision, the mandate, the assessment and the preferences of decision makers meet. Disagreement is common, and it is often about different unstated assumptions rather than different candidates.
Useful for
Boards, chairs, owners and selection committees approaching a final senior appointment.
Some decisions benefit from another perspective.
If a question in this series describes a decision in front of you, you are welcome to bring it into a conversation.
Bring the question →