Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 2007
  • Book

The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning

By: Joseph L. Bower
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

With rising CEO turnover, companies are increasingly looking outside for qualified candidates. Sure, externally recruited CEOs bring fresh perspectives and connections. But they lack the in-depth knowledge of the company's culture and history that they need to succeed. Result? Many deliver disappointing performances. Companies can avoid this scenario, contends Joseph Bower in "The CEO Within." Drawing on a decade's research (including interviews with leading CEOs) and experience managing the succession process, Bower explains how companies can develop a cohort of internal candidates--one of whom may be suited to the increasingly demanding CEO role. The key? Groom "inside-outsiders." These leaders view their role through the lens of someone who just bought the company--unencumbered by the cognitive and emotional baggage that comes from a long tenure in the organization. But they also leverage the knowledge they've accumulated about the company's people, suppliers, customers, and future direction. Placed squarely at the intersection of succession planning and leadership development, this book describes the distinguishing attributes of the inside-outsider and reveals how to recruit, nurture, and promote this special type of leader. With a healthy supply of qualified internal candidates, companies get the leadership they need--when they need it.

Keywords

Recruitment; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Leadership Development; Management Succession

Citation

Bower, Joseph L. The CEO Within: Why Inside Outsiders Are the Key to Succession Planning. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2007.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Purchase

About The Author

Joseph L. Bower

→More Publications

Related Work

    • 2013
    • Faculty Research

    The Most Successful CEOs Come from Within

    By: Joseph L. Bower
Related Work
  • The Most Successful CEOs Come from Within By: Joseph L. Bower
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College