Why Rookie CEOs Outperform

“Why Rookie CEOs Outperform,” by Claudius A. Hildebrand, Cathy Anterasian, and Jordan Brugg. Harvard Business Review, January–February 2021,

When seeking the best CEO candidate, boards might begin with lofty goals. But directors recognize that a botched succession could hurt their reputations (not to mention their shareholders), so in many cases they end up focusing not only on the upside potential of a candidate but also on the downside risk, asking: Who is the safest choice? Who is least likely to fail? And their answer is often the candidate with prior experience in the top jo.....