“The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, James Noel”.

This book gives a detailed account on

1. The six transitions we have to make as we move up the leadership pipeline
a. from managing yourself to managing others
b. from managing others to managing managers
c. from managing managers to functional managing
d. from functional managing to business managing
e. from business managing to group managing
f. from group managing to enterprise managing.

2. The threshold that is defined at each level as a set of skills, time applications and values.

3. The importance and the definition of ‘let go’ required for each transition

4. The ‘pipeline clogging’ that happens when there is an unsuccessful transition.

5. Various scenarios of ‘pipeline clogging’ and the associated symptoms/smoke signals.

While the book deals mostly at the organization level, there are
takeaways for individuals as well.

For instance, you could use the book to lay out the
skills, time applications and work values at the possible
leadership levels you have passed through or wish you
would pass through in the next few years, and create
your set. This will serve as a great guide as you move
up the career path. Likewise, if you had missed certain
transitions during your career climb, you could make a
conscious effort to pick those skills or understand the
time applications/work values.

Finally, the book also presents a broad framework for performance
management, with this neat classification of results excepted
from the leaders.

Defining Performance Standards

Broad Range of results

Operating Results(revenues, costs, profits)

Customer Results (acuisition, retention, penetration, satisfaction)

Leadership Results (setting direction,communicating, developing people,

setting standards)

Management Results (control, quality, timeliness)

Relationships (working relationships, teamplay, internal and external,

business and government)

Social Responsibility (doing right by the community, government and

environment)

Individual technical competence (those part of the work that only

you should do)

“The Leadership Pipeline” is a great book and a must read. The
concepts presented can be customized to any organization and the
case studies will sure help in putting together the material required
for designing the leadership pipeline framework.

Related links
Satyam Way and Leadership Pipeline