Adam Baker is a promising young COO at Straus Event Specialists and the protege of CEO Merwyn Straus, who acquired him along with his failed company, Tallyrymple, a few years ago. Adam suggested that SES and two partners invest in a chain of hotels, and now he wants to run the new business. "That door isn't open to you" is Merwyn's response. "Let it go," says Adam's friend Kaleeb. "Be more aggressive," says Kaleeb's wife. Adam must decide whether to push Merwyn to give him the job. Commentary by Marshall Goldsmith, a leading executive educator and coach, and Richard C. Kessler, the CEO of a group of 10 boutique hotels in the U.S.

Adam Baker is a promising young COO at Straus Event Specialists and the protege of CEO Merwyn Straus, who acquired him along with his failed company, Tallyrymple, a few years ago. Adam suggested that SES and two partners invest in a chain of hotels, and now he wants to run the new business. "That door isn't open to you" is Merwyn's response. "Let it go," says Adam's friend Kaleeb. "Be more aggressive," says Kaleeb's wife. Adam must decide whether to push Merwyn to give him the job. Commentary by Marshall Goldsmith, a leading executive educator and coach, and Richard C. Kessler, the CEO of a group of 10 boutique hotels in the U.S.

If you're on the way to becoming CEO, take care. Many anointed successors find their path to the corner office unexpectedly blocked. The obstacle is usually a mismanaged relationship with any of six kinds of stakeholders: the current chief executive, the successor's peers, his or her direct reports, customers, analysts and shareholders, and the board of directors. Succession isn't an entirely rational process, explains veteran executive coach Goldsmith. Personal issues, egos, and emotions influence succession decisions just as much as business logic. Look at what happened in 1978 to Lee Iacocca, considered by many the obvious candidate to become head of Ford. Iacocca didn't just fail to get the job - he was fired. In explaining why, Henry Ford II famously remarked, "Sometimes you just don't like somebody." To secure their promotion, prospective heirs must strengthen relationships with the stakeholders whose commitment they'll need to succeed as CEO. That involves striking a delicate balance in a number of areas. For instance, candidates must project readiness to lead while supporting the current CEO, showing respect for peers, and demonstrating that they can make tough decisions without alienating their reports. It's also critical for them to determine if they've made past missteps that call for a change in personal style or relationship-building approach. The current CEO can provide invaluable guidance on areas ripe for improvement, as well as many other issues, such as which customers aspiring successors need to get to know or what the concerns of individual board members might be. Building better relationships with stakeholders takes time and effort, and treading so carefully may be wearying. But executives who do it before they become CEO stand a much better chance of making it across the finish line, and in the end will become much more effective leaders.

Executive consultant Marshall Goldsmith tells his CEO clients that he's not the real coach; the people around them are. To change your behavior, he says, quit whining about the past and start asking your colleagues how you can do better. You're not done until they think you are.

As far as anyone could tell, Vigor Skin Care's star was rising, mostly on the strength of Ageless Vigor, its new line of enriched skin cleansers and cosmetics. In fact, this evening, the three employees responsible for developing the product line were slated to receive the parent company's highest award for performance. But CEO Peter Markles knew that despite the accolades, the business unit--and its "fearsome threesome"--had hit a rough patch in recent months. When Peter took the reins four years ago, Vigor Skin Care was the sleeping dog of the health-and-beauty industry; his challenge was to rejuvenate the maturing business. He knew a turnaround would require equal parts discipline, politics, and creativity--so he pulled together a team that could address those needs. Their all-consuming, intensely collaborative efforts resulted in the successful Ageless Vigor line. Then reality set in. The team found the day-to-day operations of manufacturing Ageless Vigor a bit tedious. Peter felt relegated to troubleshooting distribution problems. Another team member was meeting with executives from another division who were actively recruiting the wunderkind. Another member was simply on the verge of burnout. Tonight, at the award ceremony, there would be speeches and applause and toasts. But tomorrow, Peter would have to face the question: Should he try to salvage the Ageless Vigor team? In R0107A and R0107Z, Marshall Goldsmith, Nancy Bologna, Martin Puris, and John R. Katzenbach offer their advice on the problem presented in this fictional case study.

As far as anyone could tell, Vigor Skin Care's star was rising, mostly on the strength of Ageless Vigor, its new line of enriched skin cleansers and cosmetics. In fact, this evening, the three employees responsible for developing the product line were slated to receive the parent company's highest award for performance. But CEO Peter Markles knew that despite the accolades, the business unit--and its "fearsome threesome"--had hit a rough patch in recent months. When Peter took the reins four years ago, Vigor Skin Care was the sleeping dog of the health-and-beauty industry; his challenge was to rejuvenate the maturing business. He knew a turnaround would require equal parts discipline, politics, and creativity--so he pulled together a team that could address those needs. Their all-consuming, intensely collaborative efforts resulted in the successful Ageless Vigor line. Then reality set in. The team found the day-to-day operations of manufacturing Ageless Vigor a bit tedious. Peter felt relegated to troubleshooting distribution problems. Another team member was meeting with executives from another division who were actively recruiting the wunderkind. Another member was simply on the verge of burnout. Tonight, at the award ceremony, there would be speeches and applause and toasts. But tomorrow, Peter would have to face the question: Should he try to salvage the Ageless Vigor team? In R0107A and R0107Z, Marshall Goldsmith, Nancy Bologna, Martin Puris, and Jon R. Katzenbach offer their advice on this fictional case study.

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Grooming in-house candidates for leadership roles is critical for companies that want to stay competitive. Leadership experts Robert M. Fulmer, Philip A. Gibbs, and Marshall Goldsmith provide insights about today's best leadership development practices, basing their observations on a recent study that benchmarked six best-practice companies. Arthur Andersen, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Shell, and the World Bank all recognize that keeping a steady stream of leaders moving up is important to the strategic vision. The authors pinpoint five essential elements of success: awareness (learning about the latest approaches to leadership development), anticipation (using forward-looking scenarios to envision the future needs of the business), action (finding ways to use executive learning programs to support strategic initiatives), alignment (ensuring that company documents used for performance appraisal, succession planning, and education are consistent), and assessment (evaluating how leadership education has improved business results). Approaches vary. The World Bank gives future leaders a stint in impoverished countries so they can do a better job of supporting the bank's goal of reducing poverty. At GE, the company's famed Six Sigma quality-improvement program and creative ideas for expansion in emerging economies flowed from presentations made at leadership development events. In the best-practice organizations, the most senior people set an example of support for leadership development programs.