Selecting Leaders, Not Just Managers: Lessons from the LIFO® Method
Originally inspired by “Selecting a New Managing Director” and “Selecting the Company President” case studies (Atkins & Katcher, 1970s) Edited and Modernized by Hany Elawadly – Global Life Orientations Lead, 2025
Introduction
“Leadership is not about the next promotion — it’s about the next alignment.”
In the classic LIFO® case studies on executive selection from the 1970s, consultants Stuart Atkins and Allan Katcher presented corporate scenarios that remain surprisingly relevant today.
A leadership team must choose a new company president within hours — six strong candidates, each successful in their own way, each representing a different behavioral orientation. The challenge? They all can lead, but not all will fit.
The Timeless Question: Who Fits the Future?
Leadership selection isn’t simply about experience or charisma. It’s about behavioral congruence — how a leader’s natural style aligns with the culture, context, and direction of the organization.
- Controlling.Taking: Drives innovation but may risk burnout in a collaborative culture
- Supporting.Giving: Builds trust but may hesitate to make hard calls under pressure
- Conserving.Holding: Protects stability but can slow transformation
- Adapting.Dealing: Thrives in complexity but may under-communicate details
Matching leadership to strategy — not personality — remains the heart of LIFO®’s strength-based philosophy.
Overdone Strengths: The Hidden Risk in Leadership
Atkins and Katcher warned of a timeless danger: strengths overdone become weaknesses. Modern neuroscience agrees — under stress, we default to our most familiar behavioral strengths, even when they stop working.
“A visionary leader can become impulsive. A methodical planner can become indecisive. Awareness separates the two.”
The LIFO® Strengths-Overdone Curve still applies today, showing that effective leaders regulate their behavior according to the moment — not their mood.
From Competency to Congruence
In 2025, leadership excellence is measured not by technical mastery, but by behavioral adaptability.
Forward-thinking organizations now use LIFO® Target Profile Analysis (TPA) — a structured way to align a role’s success profile with candidates’ orientations.
Rather than asking “Who’s the most experienced?”, we ask “Whose natural way of leading fits the next chapter of this business?”
When a leader’s style complements both the company’s culture and strategy, succession becomes sustainable — not stressful.
Five Modern Takeaways for Leadership Selection
- Define success patterns before the vacancy appears
Build a “Target Profile” of behaviors needed for the company’s next phase — not just today’s job
- Evaluate orientation, not just output
Look at how leaders get results — through people, process, innovation, or influence
- Spot overdone strengths early
Awareness and coaching save years of misalignment
- Include diverse behavioral types at the table
Mixed styles prevent cultural echo chambers and groupthink
- Bridge, don’t replace
New leadership should bridge the past to the future, not erase what came before
Final Thought
True succession planning isn’t about filling seats — it’s about aligning strengths with strategy. The LIFO® Method reminds us that leadership success isn’t found in resumes or titles, but in the orchestration of human orientations toward a shared goal.