A Maestro Completes the Third Turn By Dr. Mark L. Vincent

Is this Your Maestro Season?

Maestro-level leaders are responsible for handing off the leadership baton as neatly as possible.

This responsibility matches the successor’s responsibility to grasp that baton:

• Fully (priority)
• Quickly (second priority)

Both persons must do this while matching speed for the handoff and then accelerating into their respective turns. The predecessor’s turn, of course, is to get off the track and out of the way.  

Two Dangers Accompany the Handoff

FIRST—if the outgoing leader assumes that knowledge transfer between successive leaders is easy. The example of “Ken” in Don Ciampa’s 2021 essay on CEO succession illustrates the severe problem this can become.

SECOND—if successor(s) assume they already know everything, or worse, believe they can run the organization better than a successful predecessor. Consider this editorial on the Jack Welch and Jeffrey Immelt succession at G.E. as an example.

A Third Danger

Out of those two dangers, a third danger often occurs: when the outgoing or incoming leader blames the other person for all failures while rushing to take credit for any successes.

My yearning to be a resource to Maestro-level leaders stems from my journey through what I hope was a planful and well-executed transition from the company my wife, Lorie, and I founded twenty-five years ago. In essence, this transition provided a platform from which I’ve assisted other succession plans and executive transitions. Along the way, I came across many quality experts and resources, but they were always focused on specific aspects of the transition process. I rarely came across something comprehensive and interdisciplinary, and never at scale. The beauty of the Maestro-level leader cohort experience is that a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, scalable resource now exists. Furthermore, it operates in partnership with the Christian Leadership Alliance. Most of all, it exists in community rather than in the toxic isolation that so often harms the last chapter of one’s leadership.

Dr. Mark L. Vincent is the Founder of Design Group International and the Society for Process Consulting. He hosts the Third Turn Podcast and facilitates Maestro-level leaders. Discover the Maestro-level cohort that is waiting for you! Click the banner below to learn more!

Ready to pass your baton? We can help!

Maseto-Level Leaders is launching a fall cohort for leaders looking to finish strong.

Maestro-level Leader is a cohort of companions rather than a peer advisory group. It is designed for Third Turn leaders planning to build future value and pursue a successful succession and legacy of their mission. A group of six to 10 companions will travel with you through a disciplined exercise of mapping, modeling, and implementing strategies toward future value, succession, and legacy. This will entail a mix of virtual and live interactions on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.