"When a highly successful leader retires after..." - Quote by Thomas Sowell
When a highly successful leader retires after a long career, it is very unlikely that his successor will be of comparable caliber. Anyone of similar ability and drive would have gone somewhere else, instead of waiting in the wings for years for a chance to show his own leadership.
More by Thomas Sowell
“Nobody would put as little thought and effort into buying an automobile as they put into deciding who to elect as President of the United States.”
“Riskier mortgage lending practices, imposed by government, were what set the stage for many mortgage payments to stop and thus for the financial disasters that followed. Political rhetoric, echoed in the media, seeks to obscure that painfully plain fact.”
“There are only two ways of telling the complete truth - anonymously and posthumously.”
More on Leadership
“When problems confront successful leaders, they get excited about the opportunity.”
“When the uncarved wood is split, its parts are put to use. When the sage is put to use, he becomes the head.”
“In a world wracked by hatred, economic crisis, and political tension, America remains mankind's best hope.”
More on Succession
“I figure I'll be champ for about ten years and then I'll let my brother take over - like the Kennedys down in Washington.”
“This is something else that is drilled into us in the military: Make sure you know who your replacement is, in case you become a casualty. So you have to have depth within an organization.”
“All his successors gone before him have done 't; and all his ancestors that come after him may.”