Chapter 8

Leaving

I would not blame new chief executives if they did not devote much time to their departure on the day of their arrival in a new post. After all, when there are clients and staff to meet, strategies to frame and immediate fires to be fought, it would look negligent to spend hours working out what a dignified exit would look like, and who might fill your shoes.

But plenty of bosses do spend time framing an escape route: working out the exit terms of any new contract. It is the reason why so many corporate boards are later embarrassed when the managers they chose fail, and the lavish deals they struck in the first flush of courtship are exposed. Few leaders, however, plan properly for what happens next, and continue to get ...

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