Give leaders complex jobs, not big ones

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Strategy Business – Give leaders complex jobs, not big ones

Why do leaders typically pursue silo-based career paths, asks Cynthia D. McCauley in her review of Claudio Fernández-Aráoz’s latest book It’s Not the How or the What but the Who: Succeed by Surrounding Yourself with the Best? The answer: ambitious A-players tend to see this path as the shortest route to the C-suite. The downside, warns Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, is that it produces top executives who lack the perspective and connections required to lead a whole company effectively. “The fact is that giving people bigger jobs with fancier titles and larger salaries won’t make them better. More complex assignments will,” writes Fernández-Aráoz. Such assignments may involve relocating to a new country, shifting from a staff to a line role, or moving from a turnaround situation to launching a new business unit. “Remember that potential should trump seniority and that—when it comes to the jobs that help leaders grow most—complexity always beats size,” the author concludes.

Full story: Cynthia D. McCauley: Tomorrow’s Leaders Need Diverse Challenges Today in Strategy Business (28 July 2014).