8. The importance of re-badging yourself after an internal promotion with Odgers Berndtson´s Mark O Donnell

In this episode, I talk to a head-hunter who has just gone through his own “first time leader” transition and how that has changed him and given him a fuller awareness of what it feels like as “a candidate”.

Mark talks about his own personal experience transitioning as a first-time leader when he was appointed as Managing Partner.

His own succession planning was best in class, helped by the fact that his appointment was agreed 1 year in advance.  

The challenge was how to rebadge himself… and he has managed that by relying less on instinct and by becoming more reflective and strategic. 

He was not shy about seeking out support from a range of people in order to generate fresh ideas; his predecessor, his peers, an external coach and his extensive network.

And he offers 3 pieces of general advice to external candidates

1.     you need to be 20% better than your internal competitor because of the ramp up time and the risk of failure.  You can do this by demonstrating “personal spirit”,  agility & curiosity

2.     you should always ask for your psychometrics file, and notes that “the good candidates always do”

3.     in a competitive selection process, it can come down to hunger.  As he puts it “We´ll give it to xx, because he/she wanted it more”

Thanks for listening, and if you think this can help a colleague, please share. 

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