Supporting Executives in New Leadership Positions

INTERVENTION

Dr. Ronald Bossert worked closely with a team of J&J senior executives to create two carefully crafted programs. The Transition Leadership Forum was designed to better prepare newly appointed leaders to critical leadership positions at the director and vice president levels, and the New Business Leader Program was developed for newly appointed general managers, managing directors, and presidents of the J&J business units. A customized executive coaching process was also designed to support senior leaders experiencing a leadership transition.

METHODOLOGY

The Transition Leadership Forum, a two-and-a-half day program supported new leaders build momentum and secure early wins that are critical to establishing their credibility among members of their organizations. Common traps into which newly appointed leaders fall are discussed and participants learn about a framework for achieving successful leadership transitions. The three-day New Business Leader Program focused on areas of business knowledge critical to the new leaders, and addressed more specific content such as dealing with ethical, legal and regulatory leadership, and building a team around structure, process and culture. The six month coaching process dealt with the core tasks required for a successful leadership transition. A common ingredient among all three approaches was the development of a leadership transition plan to deal with key challenges and enhance leadership transition success.