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We all know that the Managing Partner is on his way to a Board position. One of us is to be his successor. To his credit, none of us has a clue which of us it will be. He has mentored us all; helped us all advance our careers. One among us wants the rest to believe that he's got the inside track. Smart move. If we buy into his bluff, acting as though he's the succesor, he'll get it by default. I certainly hope it isn't him. He achieves results through inflicting fear. That's not leadership - that's bullying.

I am afraid that it won't be me. I've come up through operations - not the analysis group. The MP is an analyst; and acutely aware of the debacles that can occur when non-technical executives take over technical companies. A well known company that had been the standard for electronic instruments stars as the adverse example in his teachings of stewardship over profit. He has called it 'a rudderless ship crashing into port after port, looking for it's rightful home'.

That would not happen to our firm under my leadership. Techie or no, I'm sure I'll be a good steward. It would be ridculous for me to badly run a company whose business is to help other companies run theirs. One thing's for sure. If I don't succeed him, I'll have to step up my mentoring - include other women outside my organization. If I don't, they'll get left out. The other potential successors don't give a rat's ass.