NeXt - Board Edition | June 2026

As a CEO, one of your most important responsibilities is building a leadership pipeline that’s strong enough to steer your organization forward, no matter what the future holds.

In this month's edition of NeXt, we explore why CEO succession should begin much earlier than most leaders think—and the steps you can take today to develop the next generation of leaders. We also share why it’s important to know how to follow as well as lead.

In this edition:

01 Why CEO Succession Should Start in Your First Year

02 Global Leadership Monitor 2026

03 Why Following Can Be Harder For CEOs Than Leading

04 Leadership Lounge: Staying Sharp at the Top: How CEOs Can Use Mentors to Sustain Performance

05 How to Nail Your First Year as CEO

Big Data

#1

Tech change has emerged as the factor CEOs believe will have the most influence over their organization for the first time.

In our H1 2026 Global Leadership Monitor, 63% of CEOs named tech change as the top factor they believe will impact organizational health in the next 12-18 months. We share how prepared your peers are to face it.

Dig into the data

Leadership Lounge

“An external mentor allows a CEO to have consequence-free conversations...a space where they can truly express their concerns.”

Your board chair may be a strategic sounding board, but not every conversation you have with them is consequence-free—after all it’s their fiduciary responsibility to share aspects of your conversations where necessary. Our advisors share why many CEOs turn to an external mentor to stress-test their thinking.

Listen here