If you find value in content like this, sign up for my Talent Edge Weekly newsletter.
I previously shared an article from Russell Reynolds Associates on why CHROs are playing a more active role in CEO succession. For CHROs already supporting boards with CEO assessment and selection, a new article from Boston Consulting Group adds a practical lens on what boards actually value—and how early candidates need to prepare. The article highlights three areas boards consistently assess: 1) how candidates run the business (a repeatable performance record, sound strategic judgment, and increasingly, evidence of AI-driven value creation), 2) how they lead people (building teams, developing talent, and retaining key leaders through change), and 3) how they show up with the right balance of humility and gravitas in high-stakes settings. It also shows how expectations shift across three time horizons (five years out, three years out, and during the selection process), reinforcing a critical implication for CHROs: CEO succession is not a last-mile evaluation exercise, but a multi-year capability-building effort that requires intentional role design, exposure, feedback, and development well before the board is making a decision. And in case you missed it, I’m resharing a 25-page report from the CHRO Association (formerly HR Policy Association) and the Center for Executive Succession, CEO Succession: 10 Pitfalls Boards Must Avoid—and the CHRO Practices That Help, which complements this perspective by highlighting where boards most often stumble and how CHROs can proactively reduce risk.
