During a board review of a major company, it became apparent that there was diminishing confidence amongst the directors and senior executive team in the CEO’s performance. Rosemary calibrated the intensity and validity of the concern and documented this for the Chairman’s consideration. Rosemary then worked with the Chairman to create a safe forum for the directors to discuss the CEO’s performance. Given the information that had been highlighted and the board’s deliberation of the issue, the board decided to terminate the CEO’s contract. The newly appointed CEO and the company are now performing well and, in retrospect, the directors are extremely positive about their decision to change the CEO and most especially about the way in which the decision was made.
Hard decisions need to be carefully investigated and considered and then executed promptly for the ongoing health of the organisation.