When You Follow a Legend, You Can't Be
Meek
Bosses such as Tim Cook and Steve
Ballmer, who take charge after a founder departs, have a particularly difficult
challenge. But there's a trick to successful succeeding: once you solve the
people issues, everything else gets easier.
Taking the leadership
job is tough enough. But there's an even higher degree of difficulty in
being Act Two, following in the footsteps of "larger-than-life"
founders like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Sam Walton as they move away from the
day-to-day of a thriving business or sell the whole shebang and leave you
holding the bag for the new buyers. Even if most of the miracle tales of
superhuman struggles and successes ripped from the jaws of certain defeat are
somewhat inflated, these founders got the deals done; the investors and
customers appeared; and serious businesses got built.
Following such an act is not going to be easy. But, as the Navy
Seals say, there's no easy way and the only easy day was yesterday. The initial
change and transition in some cases might just be something as simple as: (a)
the team deciding it's time for the CEO to stop selling directly and for him or her to focus more on
financing, strategy, strategic partnerships and other matters; or (b) it could
be a big company-wide reorganization with you taking on a lot of new reports
and responsibilities or (c) because dreams sometimes do come true, maybe the
board or new owner decides that you're the right one right about now to get the
job done.
Congratulations, the
spotlight's shining on you and it seems like the whole world is watching.
Showtime! No more rehearsals, second chances or do-overs. And understand that
while the process is important, and good consistent and clear communication is
critical, this whole transition thing is much more about the people than
anything else. I'm talking about the ones who are coming, the ones who are
staying, and the ones who are going --voluntarily or otherwise. If you get the
people part done well, the rest of the transition will be a lot easier--
because you won't be doing it alone.
And, while we're on
the subject of staying or overstaying one's welcome, I'd say, without seeming
too callous, that the transition will have less friction if the founder becomes
less visible and less active in the business. Founders have a tough time
letting go and an inordinate fondness for the past and the ways that business
used to get done. Of course, you might get lucky and have a real ally on your
side, someone who knows where the bodies are buried and which people and other
pitfalls to avoid. Because absolutely everyone's got an agenda. The best
change managers, just like the best managers in baseball, are the ones who can
keep the players who hate them away from the ones who haven't made up their
minds yet. So, don't be too quick to shove anyone out the door. Good help is
hard to find.
And, to be clear,
figuring this stuff out on the fly is a real bear. But there are a few ground
rules that can help you make it through the gauntlet without losing your soul
or any skin in the process. Keep in mind that these are basically tactical
suggestions: that is, defining the long view, setting the overall vision and
strategy, and building critical cultural fit as well as social capital are
topics for another day. First things first: you can't build a new foundation if
the place is on fire.
The first rule is to control your calendar and make sure that you are running the
show. You have to rule your inbox, not the other way around. Everything
isn't an emergency and not everything has to be done yesterday. Your time is
scarce and precious, unlike some of the people you'll have to deal with, who
have nothing but time and are always looking for ways to justify their
existence as well as to waste your time. Media mavens, public officials, job
seekers, and a million other people with a cause will all appear at your
doorstep looking to offer advice and asking for favors, resources, and
assistance.
And, while the founder knew the ones who were full of it and
figured out early on how to avoid them, you'll have to suffer these same
so-and-so's for a while. But you can be smart about it. You can also expect all kinds of other
unwelcome "experts" to come out of the woodwork. Mentors,
advisors, and board members who suddenly return to life with only the best of
intentions. I'd suggest that board members in particular
should wait a while, to be
specifically asked for their help, before rushing in.
The second rule is to quickly re-recruit your key players and to get the spectators off the field.
Work from the inside out and fix the folks first. Focus on keeping the ones who
can get you to where you need to go - the ones who've been there before - and
not simply the "nice" ones who don't have any other place to be. Your
job isn't to defend yesterday; it's to build for tomorrow. Change is hard for
anyone and people - regardless of their age - don't like it and they like
surprises even less. Ambiguity is a culture-killer and sometimes any
decision, right or wrong, is better than limbo. The sooner you let all the
people know who's staying and who's not, the happier everyone will be. The
worst thing to do is the "salami" solution - continual small slices
and repeated layoffs with no end in sight. Go early and go deep - 2x is better
than any piecemeal plan. And remember that the people who come back to haunt
you aren't the ones you let go; they're the ones you should have fired and
didn't.
The third rule is: don't let anyone make a liar
out of you. People who aren't
committed - people who are just biding their time and phoning it in - are the
ones who you need to confront and convert or tell to take a hike. You need to
get any resistance out in the open. People don't like conflict and will try to
hide any bad news until the last possible moment when it's often too late to
fix. Tell your people what you expect, what that will entail and require of
them, and how their results will be measured. Commitments from these people in
words, but not actions are worthless. Don't confuse their good manners with
agreement. As Samuel Goldwyn used to say: tell me the truth even if it costs
you your job. In the real world, the truth only hurts when it ought to, and
there's no need to make or take things personally, but having straightforward
and direct conversations as early as possible is essential. And don't
accept apologies (or promises to do better next time) from people who don't
change their behavior. These aren't apologies - they're insults.
The fourth rule is to fix a few things fast if you can. If you can't commit to major
changes overnight (and you shouldn't), commit to what you can do and get those
things done. Ordinarily, I suggest that, if you have to eat a bunch of frogs
(problems), you swallow the biggest one first. But, in this context, it makes
much more sense to watch for a while, understand the culture, get the leaders
and the influencers aligned with your vision and aspirations, get buy-in from
your board, and then move quickly to make the bigger changes once you've made
the decisions. In the meantime, shoot for small victories, visible results,
quick turnarounds and then make sure that you celebrate those early successes.
And finally, don't spread yourself too thin
or try to be Superman. Set the major goals
and objectives and let your team implement the strategies. Let them do their
jobs. This involves and empowers them and gets them into the game rather than
sitting on the sidelines waiting to be told what to do. And, most importantly,
it gives them a real sense of controlling their own destiny.