Past performance is no longer enough: Experience alone doesn’t predict leadership success

Claudine Albert and Mike James Ross are consultants and Alexandre H. Suissa is an expert at Egon Zehnder in Montreal.

By almost every traditional measure, the candidate seems ideal. They have led a business of comparable size. They know the industry. Their track record is strong, their references are glowing and their résumé reflects a steady progression through increasingly senior roles. Yet after all of the interviews, meetings with the board and the press release announcing their appointment, they turn out not to be the right leader for the role.

Leadership appointments can disappoint with surprising frequency. Boards and CEOs continue to find that executives who appeared perfectly qualified on paper struggle to succeed in their new role or organization.