Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reports that Uber has filled its CFO job, a spot that had been vacant for 3 years. The same article reports that Uber “still operates deep in the red.”[1]
If your organization doesn’t have at least a two-deep bench for its senior leadership team, you are taking the significant risk that nothing goes wrong.
Ever.
You’re betting that no one on the SLT leaves for a position elsewhere. Or gets promoted from within. Or that there are no unanticipated business crises which would require a senior leader’s attention to be diverted from their main responsibilities.
Which is why, when I’m working with a senior leadership team, among the first things I look at is how strong their bench is and if it has layers. In an ideal world, each member of the SLT has a strong deputy, someone who can assume their role and responsibilities. And in an even more ideal world, the deputy has a deputy.
Because if unforeseen circumstances conspire, your bench strength is the difference between fumbling or smoothly executing. And possibly, between red or black.
For more on working with me directly to build a bench worthy of a crisis, you can reach me at: sarah@sarah-levitt.com
My new book, Magnificent Leadership, illustrates how leaders across all different domains lead through upheaval. Go here to Amazon to get your copy.
If you’re preparing for an elevated leadership role or have just landed in one, you can reach me at sarah@sarah-levitt.com for information on working with me directly to accelerate your performance.
New Keynote! Magnificent Leadership® and Building Self-Correcting Teams™. I’m booking 2019 now. For more information: sarah@sarah-levitt.com
[1] Bensinger, G. (2018, August 21). Uber Fills CFO Job, Vacant Since 2015 The Wall Street Journal Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com