Just how important protégés are to a powerful person was made clear to me by this question, told to me by a Fortune 100 CEO. When choosing his direct reports, he asks: "How many blazing talents have you developed over the years and put in top positions across the company, so that if I asked you to pull off a deal that involved liaising across seven geographies and five functions, you'd have the bench strength — the people who 'owe you one' — to get it done?"
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To read the original article: Smart Leaders Have Protégés - Sylvia Ann Hewlett - Harvard Business Review
