T

t h e k o r n / f e r r y i n s t i t u t eq 2 . 2 0 1 076

The arc of your executive development is defi ned by a series of

crucial infl ection points — transitions in role, responsibility, style or location

that can, depending upon how well you handle them, either propel your career

forward or derail it. Michael D. Watkins’ new book, “Your Next Move” (Harvard

Business Press, 2009), provides a lucid guide for navigating these transitions.

Watkins is a widely recognized authority on the subject of leadership transitions. In his earlier book “The First 90 Days” (Harvard Business School Press, 2003), which has become a classic of the genre, he identifi ed several principles followed by all successful newly appointed executives and the organizations that hire them. In “Your Next Move,” he has expanded on that thinking and explored the common factors that underpin all successful transitions.

Drawing on his hands-on executive development work as chairman of Genesis Advisers as well as his academic research at IMD, INSEAD and the Harvard Business School, Watkins has concluded that most leaders experience some or all of the following eight key transitional challenges at some point in their professional lives: • Promotion. Any upward move in a hierarchy requires subtle adjustments in focus, perspective and leadership style.• Leading Former Peers. A frequent challenge accompanying promotion is establish-

A View A View From the From the BridgeBridge

“Your Next Move,” by Michael D. Watkins (Harvard Business Press, 2009)

Michael D. Watkins makes the case that successfully managing one’s professional transitions is the essence of leadership.

i n i n r e v i e wr e v i e w

t h e k o r n / f e r r y i n s t i t u t eq 2 . 2 0 1 078

ing authority and redefi ning relationships with co-workers.

• Corporate Diplomacy. Promotions and even lateral moves within an organiza-tion can often require a transition from us-ing direct authority to building alliances and consensus.

• On-Boarding. Joining a new organiza-tion requires signifi cant cultural and politi-cal adaptations including the building of ver-tical and horizontal networks.

• International Assignments. Leading an organization in an unfamiliar ethnic cul-ture calls upon new resources of fl exibility and openness, both at work and at home.

• Realignment. To aff ect fundamental changes in an organization that is in denial about the need for change calls upon a wide range of unique strategic, political and per-sonal skills.

• Turnarounds. Saving an organization or division that is already in trouble calls for crisis leadership, requiring a very particular set of competencies.

• The Business Portfolio. The ultimate test of leadership: Figuring out where to de-vote resources and how to integrate eff orts in a multifaceted organization in which each component is in a diff erent stage of develop-ment or crisis.

Watkins acknowledges that this is not a defi nitive list of transitional challenges, but contends that they are the elemental ones and that all transitions would involve some variation on these basic themes. In “Your Next Move,” he explores specifi c cases of executives who have met or failed to meet these challenges. By revealing in each case both the personal and organizational adapta-tions required, the book instructs on two lev-els: it encourages individual leaders to exam-ine their own skills and development needs and it explores how organizations can help those individuals manage their transitions.

Watkins’ discussion of the subtleties of transition is the most informative aspect of the book. He writes, for instance, about the

“shadow organization,” the informal power structures and cultural idiosyncrasies that exist in every company and come most strongly into play during times of personal and organizational fl ux. He deftly illumi-

nates some of the more nuanced require-ments of working within that shadow orga-nization, such as how to build one’s own infl uence network, how to distinguish be-tween professional relationships and alli-ances and how to make changes in leader-ship style that may be required at diff erent levels of an organization. Leaders may, for example, be required to change from “ana-lyst to integrator,” from “tactician to strate-gist” or from “warrior to diplomat,” Watkins writes.

Although focused on executives and their individual development, “Your Next Move” is equally compelling on the subject of transition from an organizational per-spective. It makes the case that an organiza-tion’s executive transitions, in the aggregate, provide a map of its evolution, its character and its success. Executive transitions are, in eff ect, the synapses of the organization’s neural network and they test the viability of its wiring.

In the book’s last chapter, Watkins asserts that expedited employee transitions are an essential element of managing enter-prise risk and confer a major competitive advantage on a company. Further, he empha-sizes that any organization’s support of executives joining a company or moving to new positions within it must be well integrated with its recruiting standards and priorities.

“The best transition-support systems cannot compensate for the sins of poor re-cruiting,” Watkins writes.

The book’s only weakness is that this promising discussion is not suffi ciently pur-sued. Watkins briefl y outlines an approach to eff ective transition management, but he misses an opportunity to more fully elabo-rate on an important issue to which most organizations pay a good deal of lip service but little serious attention.

Nevertheless, unlike many books that address individual leaders’ development,

“Your Next Move” is smart and relevant. It is worthwhile reading for anyone who is currently in transition, anticipating transi-tion or simply seeking fresh perspective on how to better navigate his or her current position.

Executive transitions are, in eff ect, the synapses of the organization’s neural network and they test the viability of its wiring.