Edward Johnson III Quotes

Abby Johnson has agreed to become Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity, reflecting a further step forward in our leadership succession plan. Abby will retain her role of President, and I will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board.

I think we're ready for succession. We just must try to do it right.

I would expect the family would continue to play a critical role in leading Fidelity. However, the company does not necessarily have to be run day-to-day by a family member. It will be run by the person who is determined to have the right skills and chemistry.

CEOs resign when the internal dynamics of the company and the external dynamics of the company actually come together to say it is appropriate. When the internal dynamics ask you whether you have a replacement. I think the transition from CEOships have also become cartoonish.

At IBM, if we kept our same leadership for 36 years, we'd be bankrupt.

Essentially, you have to be aware of a crisis happening: 'Can the company go on if I get hit by a bus?' That's, I think, how you build a great company and something that can scale.

In a perfect world, you make a seamless transition from one great era to the next, but that rarely happens. I've studied these things: how do you go from the Aikman-Irvin-Smith Cowboys to the next era? I'm all for continuity. I wish we could have done it that way with Bill Polian, Jim Caldwell, Peyton.

I will continue to help run my father's company.

I took over from Sir Alex, and it was always going to take time, whoever was in charge.

I would say that I'm blessed with a very, very good executive team that operates, reasonably autonomously, each of the companies.

Leaders tend to focus on 'what to do,' but the real issue is more often 'how to do it.'

Deciding whether or not to bring in an outside CEO is one of the most gut-wrenching decisions that a founder will ever need to make.

It is difficult for every manager, I think, in the first year.

Everywhere I've managed, I've left a platform for my successor to build on, and this is a great satisfaction for me, even if I don't necessarily get the recognition for it.

Good managers ensure good outcomes, but great leaders can deliver a vision by getting people to work together.

Vince has always been so hands-on, and that's why WWE does so well.

When we talk about change, we, the business leaders, have to implement it. We have to look at what we're not doing and what we should be doing.

Strong succession planning is a critical element of all the Johnson enterprises.

A manager has to have all different sides covered.

My experience with Epic is handing off more and more power to the point where I can just sit back and look at our strategy or technology. I provide guidance without being responsible for any particular part of the company.

You never want to go through a coaching change mid-cycle.

In 1976, I was invited to interview for the CEO position of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.

A policy of knowing your replacement is one of the best ways to drive a growth culture. It anticipates and eliminates the most harmful politics in leadership for an expanding company and instantly sets the right tone for a high-talent, growth-mindset executive team.

Meetings are the linchpin of everything. If someone says you have an hour to investigate a company, I wouldn't look at the balance sheet. I'd watch their executive team in a meeting for an hour. If they are clear and focused and have the board on the edge of their seats, I'd say this is a good company worth investing in.

Ambition is important for any manager or coach, owner or director.