When a new CEO comes into a company, there are certainly a number of changes to be expected. One important question is the timing of these changes. Should the new CEO fire and hire quickly, or should he allow the company to adjust to his presence for awhile before he begins to make changes?
As executive recruiter Dennis Carey explains, “Faster is generally better than slower…but too much churn can be very disruptive.” For instance, since he became the CEO of Motorola, Gregg Brown has quickly replaced the head of finance, technology and human resources.
Kevin Coyne, a management consultant and professor at Emory University’s business school explains that, in general, new CEOs decide whom to replace within the first 60 days. They evaluate how the lieutenants are doing quickly, placing them into four main categories.
These categories include excellent workers who they will keep as key aides; others they’ll keep who aren’t the stars; people they will replace eventually, but will keep for now, and those who must go immediately.