The hidden cost of slow CEO succession—from a guy who became president in a weekend

When I became president at 29, it happened over a weekend. On Friday, I was a regional sales rep. On Monday, I was running a $30 million company. There was no five-year training plan. No executive onboarding. No carefully choreographed succession runway. Over the next 15 years, we grew the business from $30 million to more than $230 million and the team from 50 people to 450. At the time, it looked reckless. Looking back, I’m convinced that what seemed like a disadvantage for me was...