Friday Features: 14-June-2019 

Friday Features - a weekly selection of useful insights from business schools, consulting firms and publications to help you Unleash Your Leadership

In this edition...

  • Success in the Startup World
  • Succeeding the Long-serving Legend in the Corner Office
  • The Disruption-Fit Leader
  • Killing Complexity Before Complexity Kills Growth
  • 3 Things Only Exceptional Leaders Do

More...


BY John Chambers via Knowledge@Wharton

John Chambers isn’t just another overnight success story who is ready to talk about his golden-paved path to the executive suite. Growing up dyslexic in West Virginia, he worked hard to overcome personal challenges and rise to the top position at Cisco Systems, where he transformed a router company into one of the biggest tech operations in the world. Chambers, who now runs JC2 Ventures, shares his hard-won life and business lessons in his new book, Connecting the Dots: Lessons for Leadership in a Startup World.

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BY Per-Ola Karlsson et al. via Strategy+Business

Successors to long-serving CEOs, however, face a difficult path. Following a legend is not for the faint of heart. Although they often have much in common with their predecessors in terms of their backgrounds, successors turn in significantly worse financial performance, generally have shorter tenures, and are much more likely to be forced out rather than to depart via a planned succession.

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BY Marco Mancesti via IMD Research & Knowledge

Companies need to be disruption-ready to survive, so they need leaders who are disruption-fit. What do they look like?

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BY Ron Kermisch & Jed Fallis via BAIN Insights

Complexity is the “silent killer” of growth, creeping in unnoticed as companies expand into new geographies and lines of business. Layers, ranks and titles build up, and the connection to the front line is severed. Instead of keeping up with customers, management spends most of its time on process.

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BY Marcel Schwantes via Inc.

Your business results are dependent on how you engage your team members.When it comes to innovation in the business world, the greatest idea is only a shell without the right people on the bus to give it life.

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We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of Friday Features as much as we did putting it together. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please do write in.

Narayan Kamath

Narayan Kamath


I'm an Executive Coach, Leadership Mentor and Career Success Strategist to mid-career professionals. I believe Leadership is about creating Impact. I help leaders multiply their impact by working more effectively with and through others.

Narayan Kamath

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