Learning's Place During CEO Transitions

As they look at the statistics about the ever-shrinking tenure of the average CEO and the often insurmountable challenges faced at the top level, newly appointed CEOs might be forgiven for looking at that transition time in slightly more ominous ways -perhaps as a soldier reporting for duty or a mountain climber about to begin the last stage of a difficult ascent. The average tenure for an outgoing CEO now stands at a very brief 5.9 years, down from about 12 years just a decade or so ago. About one-third of the time, the tenure is fewer than three years.