Public criticism of predecessors

Leadership is complex.

- R GOPALAKRISHNAN

Trainers draw lessons from other leaders’ experiences and convert them into memorable rules — but they are mere mantras. For every rule articulated, there is an exception. For example, Steve Jobs of Apple fame was a Stanford dropout, wore turtlenecks, and was rude to colleagues. Aspiring entrepreneurs should not emulate these. Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos tried but is now languishing in federal prison.

Despite this there are best practices.

Every leader learns about how and what to speak publicly about predecessors and present colleagues. In one social-media post recently, I read a view (I thoroughly disagree) that JRD Tata was a fabulous and ethical leader but left a “leaky and unstable umbrella” for Ratan Tata. All leaders hand over unresolved problems to the successor, apart from a good record of accomplishments. What we should think about is public disparaging of the predecessor.

Does public criticism matter? Why would a leader do so? We see this occurrence both in national politics and in companies. Psychology suggests that it may work to some extent in politics but is rarely effective in a corporate setting.