When a CEO won’t let go, the business pays for iT
When a CEO won’t let go, the business pays for it.
I’ve seen this pattern more times than I can count.
A CEO “steps back” on paper.
Title changes. Calendar lightens. The board calls it a planned transition.
Inside the company, nothing really changes.
People still wait for the former CEO’s view.
Leaders hedge because they’re not sure whose call will stick.
The new CEO spends time managing the shadow instead of running the business.
Harvard Business Review had a smart line on this dynamic: leadership clarity is an operating asset, and ambiguity is an operating cost.
When authority isn’t fully released, it shows up fast:
➤ teams get cautious
➤ decisions slow down
➤ strategy loses a clear anchor
At Eagle Talon Partners, we watch these handoffs closely because the ripple effects are predictable.
An organization can’t follow two centers of gravity for long. Something eventually gives.
What’s the earliest signal you’ve seen that a former CEO still has the wheel?
🔗 Source: When Your CEO Is Semi-Retired—But Meddling Full-Time
