For decades, succession management

For decades, succession management identified replacements for senior executives who, it was assumed, would eventually depart the organization through death or retirement. In many companies, the planning for succession was simply one of several “annual events,” without much thought given that the process could be deployed for development and/or retention of talented employees. These days, good workers are often lured away to competing orga- nizations, and companies without strong succession processes are left hanging. Many top managers move on and must be replaced. In Growing Your Company’s Leaders, authors Robert Fulmer and Jay Conger explore how the competition for talent is changing, and how several best practice companies have used succession management as a source for strategic advantage.