Generating the next generation

This morning’s announcement that Tellabs Chairman, CEO and co-founder Michael Birck will step down as head of the company (again—Birck relinquished the CEO spot a few years ago but took it back after then-CEO Richard Notebaert left to head up Qwest Communications) raises a question I haven’t heard anyone ponder in a while: Given not only the retirement of longtime industry figures like Birck, but also the corporate scandals, general economic malaise and personnel reductions that have characterized telecom over the past few years, is this industry equipped with the right kind of leadership to guide it smoothly through a sustainable recovery? 

This question is not specifically about Tellabs, or any other company, for that matter. It’s a broader query about the possible dearth of up-and-coming leaders in an industry that not only has dramatically reduced in scale, but also has lost a lot of entrepreneurial representation through bankruptcies, sector failures layoffs and the like. And the question applies not just to carrier and technology vendor organizations, but also to the industry associations and lobbying groups that represent the various factions of the telecom industry. Are there enough innovative, aggressive, capable leaders left after the shakeout to effectively lead this industry back to a period of prosperity and expansion?

Have the true innovators been driven for good from telecom, or can they be lured back? What does it take to become a standout of telecom’s next generation? What particular skills and experience is required of them? Will telecom have to look increasingly outside its borders to find the best new leadership, or does high-quality talent still exist within?

I don’t have the answers, but I’m hoping you do. Let me know what you think at jmeyers@primediabusiness.com.