Leadership has an expiry date, much like perishable goods marked with a "best before" stamp - using it beyond this point comes with risks. The warning is clear:
buyer beware
!
Leadership for politicians is akin to the stage for actors. They ascend, perform their roles, and must then gracefully exit to allow others to take their place, often to applause from the audience. This process of ascension, performance, and exit appears until the final curtain falls.
Some leaders know they are the right people to lead and recognise when it's time to step down, leaving on their own terms while still respected. Others overstay their welcome, facing boos or being pushed off the stage. There are also those who are mediocre or clueless but fail to see it or acknowledge it.
Do members of political parties and ordinary citizens get the leaders and successors they deserve, or do they merely endure what they end up with? This book tentatively explores the cyclical nature of leadership transitions across commercial, voluntary, and political sectors - both civilian and military - to uncover the global fault lines in political party and government leadership and succession.
"Each leader or successor is unique, shaped by their environment and imbued with their own DNA."
"The success or failure of leaders depends on their ability to read the environment, adapt to changing dynamics, and decide whether to sink or swim."