Building Your Leadership Bench (HBR Article Collection)

Nothing's more crucial to a company's performance than cultivation of its future leaders. So why do so many companies have skimpy leadership benches? Some firms' leadership development programs overrely on competency models that identify generic traits ("vision," "direction," "energy"). Executives then try to cultivate next-generation leaders who fit the model. Result? Vanilla leaders who aren't equipped to manage their firm's unique challenges. Other enterprises don't realize that great leadership at the top starts in the middle--where promising managers acquire the skills they need to succeed in more senior roles. Neglecting development of mid-level managers, they have shallow pools of candidates for strategically vital jobs. This HBR Article Collection gives you the road map and tools you need to avoid these dangerous mistakes--and build a strong leadership bench in your company. The Harvard Business Review articles in this collection are: "Building a Leadership Brand" by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood, "Growing Talent as if Your Business Depended on It" by Jeffrey M. Cohn, Rakesh Khurana, and Laura Reeves, and "Developing Your Leadership Pipeline" by Jay A. Conger and Robert M. Fulmer.