About the Guest(s):

Ken Carrig is a seasoned business and human resources professional known for his strategic insights on executive succession planning and leadership alignment. With extensive experience in various leadership roles, including that of a Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), he has led initiatives in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and organic growth strategies in numerous organizations. As a co-founder of Future Solve, Ken's expertise extends to fostering leadership development, and he is a former Executive Director and now a Strategic Advisor to the Center for Executive Succession. Carrie's passion for aligning people with business growth is evident through his commitment to mentoring and impacting the careers of many professionals over the years.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of "Growing Your Business with People," host Jeffrey welcomes Ken Carrig, a distinguished expert in executive succession planning and leadership alignment. The conversation provides invaluable insights into the intricacies of steering an organization towards success through strategic human resource leadership. Initially, Ken shares his anticipation for a photographic vacation to Patagonia and Antarctica, outlining the multifaceted preparations required for such an expedition.

Following the intriguing icebreaker, the episode delves into Ken's professional journey, emphasizing the significance of taking managed risks and embracing new career directions. A major highlight of the discussion is executive succession planning, with Ken advising founders and CEO's on preparing future leaders by forecasting the business's trajectory and harnessing potential from within the organization. He stresses the importance of enterprise alignment and mutual accountability in leadership, sharing actionable strategies employed by high-performing executive teams.

Key Takeaways:

Bringing clarity to complexity and instilling a sense of purpose are pivotal for aligning leadership with organizational goals.

Succession planning should focus both on preparing internal candidates and on attracting new talent prepared to lead the business into the future.

Founders must cultivate the ability to "let go" for successful executive succession, allowing new leadership to innovate and drive the company forward.

Developing mutual accountability among executive team members fosters stronger unity and effective collaboration towards business objectives.

Recognizing the value of different leadership perspectives is essential, as evidenced by a candid personal story from Ken Carrig's own career.

Notable Quotes:

"One [CEO] said his job, he had two jobs. One was to bring clarity to complexity."

"[For] founders… the legacy is being able to grow the business beyond them."

"If we can build mutual accountability among us… we can try to get a sense of unison and unity in our beliefs and in our practices."

"Sometimes you just have to let people make the decisions for themselves in a way that's good for the business and good for the people."

Resources:

Future Solve: https://futuresolve.com/

Center for Executive Succession: https://ces.moore.sc.edu/