Case Study

The rise and fall of Wade Johnson

5 pages
February 2022
Reference: IMD-7-2349

This is a case of leadership failure. It explores the experience of a leader who was very successful as a CFO and COO but who struggled and ultimately failed when he was promoted to the CEO role. As such, it is an excellent example of a common trap leaders face – “What got you here won’t get you there.” The capabilities and skills that have made you successful in the past are not guaranteed to make you successful in the future, especially at senior levels. Therefore, it’s essential to rethink how one leads and build the required new capabilities whenever taking a new role.

Learning Objective
  • Explore the root cause of leadership failure in the context of taking a new role
  • Understand the impact of situation and personality in contributing to leader derailment
  • Understand how to avoid falling into the comfort-zone trap when facing new challenges
  • Launch a broader discussion about leadership derailers
Keywords
Leadership Transition, Capability Development, Succession, Leadership Failure, Self-leadership, Personality Influence, New Role
Type
Published Sources
Copyright
© 2022
Available Languages
English
Case clearing houses
IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Looking for something specific?
IMD's faculty and research teams publish articles, case studies, books and reports on a wide range of topics