Leadership Succession Quotes

Change the leader, change the organization.

The most important detail separating the West from the East is the existence of administrators who are able to give up power. Former presidents, prime ministers and deputies must be reconciled to leaving power.

Growing other leaders from the ranks isn't just the duty of the leader, it's an obligation.

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.

When you have an autocratic regime you have no guarantee that the regime will last beyond the autocrat.

There has to be some certainty about who the leader is before the summer break.

The highest manifestation of true leadership is to identify one’s replacement and to begin mentoring him or her.

The worst mistake a leader can make is to mentor no one, choose no successor and leave no legacy.

My job is to make the whole executive team good enough to be successors, so that's what I try to do.

The father receives his power from God (and from his own father). The teacher finds the soil already prepared for obedience, and the political leader has only to harvest what has been sown.

It is extreme arrogance for one to think he is the only one who can govern his country and nobody else can do it. We're all human. After 10, 15 years you get tired, you run out of steam and ideas, you have to give a chance to somebody else. And whether you yourself are inclined to stay on, all those around you are pushing you to stay on for what they will gain. One has to have the strength of character to say the time has come to move on...unless you are a king.

In India, the eldest has the most responsibility and the crown goes to him. The crown could go to a person with the most talent. But how could 'most talent' be determined? So Indian society settled on age.

[In ancient Rome,] why did the senate after killing Caesar turn around and give the government to his nephew? Why did France after they got rid of the king and that whole system turn around and give it to Napoleon? It's the same thing with Germany and Hitler.

The single head may be sick. Who is to conduct the public affairs in that case? When he dies, who are to conduct until a new election?

To an old leader will be born an idiot heir, weak both in knowledge and in war.

Sometimes in your career, you are at the right place at the right moment. But you have to be aware that eventually you may no longer be the right person for that position. So build your succession and foster for it while you are still at the peak of you career.

Few strong leaders are enthusiastic about their successors.

It takes time, but I have a promising team of younger Ministers, and I am quite sure from amongst them, one leader will emerge.

I don't think a monarchy led by 75- and 80-year-old men [Saudi Arabia] in today's modern world is really sustainable.

The final test of greatness in a CEO is how well he chooses a successor and whether he can step aside and let the successor run the company.

If Saddam were to be replaced tomorrow he would probably be replaced with someone who's just as bad or worse than he is.

Entrepreneurs, by disposition, are built to think big. When a role no longer affords those opportunities, it might be best to leave it in capable hands and move on.

It is the first time in the history of Rwanda that political change in the highest leadership of the country has taken place in peace and security.

The children of Israel have been governed by Prophets; whenever a Prophet died another Prophet succeeded him; but there will be no prophet after me. There will be caliphs and they will number many…

. .we would have to say that hereditary succession is harmful. You may say the king, having sovereign power, will not in that case hand over to his children. But it is hard to believe that: it is a difficult achievement, which expects too much virtue of human nature.