19 | Succession Planning and the New CEO “Avatar”
In this episode of Build Better Boards, hosts Dr. Keri Jacobs and Richard Fagerlin examine how boards can keep CEO-succession plans alive and relevant. They distinguish emergency “hit-by-the-beer-truck” scenarios from long-term leadership development, and explain why creating a forward-looking CEO “avatar” helps boards hire the right leader when the time comes.
Differentiate an emergency response plan (short-term stopgaps) from an evolving succession framework focused on strategic needs.
Review practical steps for keeping successor lists and processes up to date—and why boards should revisit them at least annually.
Build a CEO “avatar” by gathering input from stakeholders on future skills, behaviors, and experiences rather than copying the outgoing job description.
Watch for biases that overweight recent performance or single metrics; use a balanced-scorecard mindset when evaluating candidates.
Develop internal talent broadly while managing expectations, recognizing that high performers may still need outside exposure to become enterprise-level generalists.
Follow Build Better Boards on LinkedIn for updates. Find show notes and transcripts at buildbetterboards.com/podcast.
Build Better Boards
The Build Better Boards podcast is created to help cooperative boards grow and thrive. Hosted by organizational health experts Richard Fagerlin and Keri Jacobs, PhD, each episode is conversational, with Richard and Keri sharing their experiences and tips on co-op governance and leadership. Inspired by their deep desire to help the co-op community meet today’s challenges, this podcast equips boards with practical tools to succeed. Future episodes will feature industry-leading guests and questions from the greater co-op community.
Follow us on LinkedIn to join the conversation!
- No. of episodes: 21
- Latest episode: 2025-08-04
- Business Management
Where can you listen?
