Is there formal succession planning at Lilly?
Yes, and the succession-management process is one of our strengths. Our CEO and chairman, Sidney Taurel, is very much involved and has set specific expectations. The process is clear, it’s communicated to the management team, and there is accountability at senior management level. Q: Is it challenging to find the talent you need? A: In our business, there are two major drivers affecting competitiveness. One is the number of people available in a given discipline. The other is our thirst for excellence. Everybody is competing for the same talent. The tougher you are and the higher your expectations are of individuals, [the more] you need to be creative if you want to hire the very best. We want to make sure that we preserve our promotion-from-within philosophy because it’s one of the magnets that we use to attract top talent. People join companies like Lilly for a career, not a job. Q: Can you please describe the recruiting process? A: My challenge is to make sure that the recruiting pr
