COO to CEO

The Situation:

At a Fortune 100 Life Insurance company, the existing CEO had been grooming his protegee COO to succeed him. The COO, “John,” a stoic former actuary, was perceived by many as a first-rate technical expert, though disengaged from his team and uninspiring with larger organizational groups. The CEO grew concerned for his legacy when the Board pressed for an outsider candidate.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

The Board approved the CEO’s proposal of a twelve-month horizon for John to achieve stretch-targets including the cultivation of a recognized leader persona and the rollout of three new products.

THE WORK:

John worked with us to increase his Influence by mastering C-Suite language to sound like a true business leader instead of number cruncher. He rebuilt his Profile by elevating his bearing, communicating like a leader of people, and navigating the organization through personal relationships with key stakeholders we identified. Finally he spiked his Promotability by engaging like a CEO – “owning his business” on two new projects, bringing them in on deadline, and achieving the prescribed targets.

THE RESULTS:

John achieved the prescribed product stretch-target. Moreover, post-engagement interviews showed a dramatic increase in the organization’s perception of him as an executive leader. The Board approved John’s promotion to CEO.

The NEXT STEPS:

If YOU want to learn more, take our “C-Suite Roadblock Audit,” which will help you identify mistakes you might be making right now that could be hurting your C-Suite prospects.  You can also download our “Team Optimizer Checklist” to help get your directs aligned.  Alternatively, if you’d like to have a brief complimentary call with Ephraim Schachter feel free to reach out for a 15-minute Strategy Session.