Mark Lawrenson Quotes

When someone leaves an office, often there's a series of successors until you settle on one.

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.

After four years as Administrator of the SBA, I have let President Obama know that I will not be staying for a second term. I will stay on until my successor is confirmed to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

A lot of what I do is running businesses rather than buying stocks. My worst decision is probably when I know I have the wrong chief executive running the business, and I keep on waiting to make the difficult decision of replacing him.

We had a very exhaustive, extensive search for the guy that is going lead our football team over the next few years. We spent about two months in an in-depth interview process, and Bret came out with flying colors. We are absolutely thrilled that he is our head coach.

Often, what I tell a new CEO asking for advice, or one of my own new leaders, is the two most important decisions that your team is going to watch is the first person you hire and the first person you promote - because you are saying that's the type of person I want.

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.

Managers live and die by their recruitment.

A personnel guy always wants to get his pick right. We live that every year. We want to make sure the pick is right.

Above all else, look around to employ the best talent you possibly can.

As a company grows from 25 to 50 to 100 to 200 to 500 to 1000 people, the characteristics of who is the very best talent in leadership roles will change. It's rarely the case that your leadership team at 1000 people is the same leadership team you had a 25 people.

I hope that soon after the next election, amongst them they will have decided, settled, and the leader will be ready to take over from me.

As coaches, we learn to accept criticism for our decisions. If a writer says you shouldn't have gone for it on fourth-and-one, we understand that's part of the job. We expect it.

The industry has to learn how to do CEO succession well. If your definition of success is Intel or Microsoft or HP or IBM, that's not a good track record, and yet they are the most successful ones.

If you're interested in the job and in the kind of work that's done, you have to have an interest in who's going to fill your shoes.

The key to being a good manager or a good entrepreneur is to pick the right people. Pick the right people, and they'll make you look good.

Who my successor is will be up to the board, not me.

I think I'm overrated as a recruiter.

CEOs can stay too long.

How do I find someone for a position I've never worked with - or worked under, even? I feel like I'm not qualified to make a lot of these decisions.

It was a hard decision to leave Norwich, and you have to take into account a lot of things - could I make the step up? Do I want to have another season of really showing what I can do?

Managers can make themselves look strong by selling or dropping players, but if the move doesn't work, the choice looks flawed.

I'd like to build a superteam. I'd like the superteam to come to me.

If we're going to change leadership, we need to do it in a very systematic and organized way.

As a manager, you can only worry about those who can get on the bus, and those are the fit ones. Injuries and illnesses mean opportunities for others.