Finding the Right CEO
Leaders promoted from a level below the C-suite, rather than COOs or division heads, have the best odds of taking firms into the top performance quartile.
Summary
Drawing on Spencer Stuart's analysis of every S&P 500 CEO succession since 2000, the research shows that most new CEOs are still internal promotions, but COOs, once 76% of such appointments, are losing ground to division heads. The study finds that neither group is most likely to deliver outstanding results. So-called leapfrog CEOs, appointed from one level below the C-suite, have the best odds of leading firms into the top quartile. The shift
Editor's opinion
Leaders promoted from a level below the C-suite, rather than COOs or division heads, have the best odds of taking firms into the top performance quartile.
Key concepts
CEO succession · Leapfrog CEOs · Internal candidate pipelines