Unilever didn’t wait. Just 20 months in, the board cut the CEO.
Not because performance collapsed — but because they weren’t improving fast enough.
That’s the climate we’re in:
— CEO tenures are shrinking
— Boards are intervening sooner
— Immediate results are expected, not optional
In 2024, more CEOs were pushed out than in any year on record.
Not all were poor leaders.
Many just weren’t delivering at the pace the market expected.
The market rewards quick, sustainable improvement — not just speed, but outcomes.
Because speed alone doesn’t fix a flawed strategy.
Just ask Starbucks, Boeing, and Intel Corporation.
Big names. Same story: a new face doesn’t fix structural issues overnight. Real change has to go deep enough to shift behavior.
Yes, urgency matters — especially when it lights a fire under the right people.
But patience matters too. It takes time for good decisions to ripple through the company and take hold.
Still, today’s market expects immediate results — and the CEO often drives a quarter or more of a company’s performance. That pressure is real.
That’s why at Eagle Talon, we evaluate CEOs the way we evaluate companies:
Is the strategy credible? Is this the right person to execute it? And are the incentives aligned — for near-term traction and long-term value creation?
Because if not, the market will act faster than the board.