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Whether you’re a king, a CEO, the head of the FBI, or the president, you can’t force people to communicate and act as if they’re really on the same team. Productive, honest communication comes only when the individuals involved believe that their collective destiny is tied to other team members. That’s not what’s happening in Washington now. Those involved in the antiterrorism effort aren’t convinced that they really need each other. They are not convinced that they will be rewarded for sharing and penalized if they don’t. Until they are convinced, they will continue to protect their turf as well as their hides. They will share information only when forced to and communication will continue to be guarded and less than candid. No super-agency, no matter how big, is going to change that. None of this can be good, especially when the stakes are so high for all of us. Chapter 49 PLANS FOR MY SUCCESSION: ARE YOU NUTS? In 2004, top executives at CBS wanted to dump eighty-year-old Don Hewitt, the creator and executive producer of 60 Minutes. CBS brass wanted to replace Hewitt with a forty-seven-year-old producer they thought was better for the job. Don Hewitt said,“No way.”He said that he was at the top of his game and that he would “die at his desk. Hopefully at CBS.” Eventually, top brass agreed to keep him on for a while and ease in the newcomer. However, it was clear that CBS and Hewitt hadn’t done a particularly good job in executive succession planning. And a lack of succession planning for on-air talent was also manifested with the retirement of Dan Rather. They are not the only ones with this problem. Countless organizations, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations don’t do succession planning very well, either. Although creating succession plans is an essential part of executive leadership, it is a very difficult task. It forces people to deal not only with management and leadership issues but also with an executive’s own Organizational Life 103 mortality and dispensability. The idea that an executive could get killed in a plane crash or car accident is terrifying. But, the fact is, these things happen. And there are other reasons for executive shuffling. Talented execs are offered other opportunities. They move on, and they move up. As with Don Hewitt, executives get older, and sometimes in spite of how they see themselves, they are just not as effective as they used to be. But no matter how old or young,the really great executives make serious plans for replacing themselves. One executive who takes succession planning seriously is Annette Catino, CEO of QualCare. Catino recently held a retreat with her senior management team to deal with this issue. Her approach was unique. She told her staff to consider the following scenario: It was Monday morning and Annette hadn’t been heard from. Soon, word was sent that she had been in an accident and had been hospitalized in serious condition. It was not clear when or if she was coming back. She then told her staff to figure out what should happen next and who would be in charge. Then, she walked out of the room for the next several hours.At first,her senior team was stunned,but after a while,they started putting the pieces together. This is just one approach to getting your people to take seriously the prospect that you won’t be there forever. But regardless of the approach, this thorny issue must be dealt with. However, certain conditions must be in place before implementing a succession plan: 1. The executive in question has to be psychologically and emotionally ready. Check your ego at the door.You are not indispensable regardless of how talented,charismatic,and effective you may be as a leader. Further, you shouldn’t try to make yourself indispensable; you should help your organization plan for what happens if you are not there. 2. The senior management team must have enough depth and talent as well as maturity to deal with these questions and issues . They must have a history of working as a team and respecting each other. 3. The CEO’s preference for who should be“in charge”must be made clear before the senior management team attempts to do any succession planning. If this preference is not clear and tacitly agreed to by the...

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