David Alan Lange

How can you give feedback effectively as a senior leader? Dee Fitzgerald, Leadership Advisor, RRA: Frame the feedback around the person’s behavior rather than their personality. For example, instead of saying, “You were a livewire in that meeting”, instead say, “I noticed that you dominated the conversation in that meeting, which led to Sam and Chris not sharing their insights.” This focuses on their specific actions rather than making judgments about someone's character.

When we don’t know what tomorrow holds, how can we identify and prepare the right leaders for the future? Russell Reynolds Associates research shows that leadership succession plans are already falling short. Boards continue to underestimate the effort, costs, and risks that accompany successful succession planning, resulting in less than half of directors believing their CEO succession plans will succeed. Meanwhile, CEO tenures are hitting record lows amid evolving role demands.

Today, critical insights, information, and ideas come from the frontline—where customers interact, problems emerge, and opportunities appear. Sales representatives discover shifting buyer preferences months before they appear in quarterly reports. Product engineers identify technical limitations that could derail strategic plans. Customer service teams hear complaints that signal market disruption. The fundamental assumptions of hierarchical decision-making have been overturned.