The Vulnerability of Leadership at the Top
I just read a very short item where Starbucks has replaced their Chief Executive Officer (CEO)—after only about a year in the position. I don’t have any details, if there were any specific individual misdeeds performed, or the board of directors had “buyer’s remorse” after seeing their pick for CEO perform in that position.
The new CEO is coming from Chipotle. Maybe we’ll see “Starbucks Bowls” coming soon to a store near us?
The point of the news above is that very senior positions in government and business are expected to perform or _____ else. I’ve seen several emergency management directors last only a short time in their position. There could be many reasons for it, a “run in” with the boss or some character flaw or a continuous stream of negative information about the emergency management director being received by that person’s boss.
No matter what the situation, I call it shelf-life, and some have a shorter lifespan than others. If you recall one British Prime Minister of late had a term in office that was compared to that of a head-of-lettuce, “Who was the lettuce Prime Minister? Background. Liz Truss became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 6 September 2022, following the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, replacing Boris Johnson.” She lasted exactly 49 days!
What is your “expected shelf-life” for the position you hold?
