Guide for Boards Firing a Founder-CEO
Firing a founder-CEO is a governance event with real reputational risk. Sequence the private conversation, the successor path, the equity conversation, and the external communication, in that order.
The short answer
Firing a founder-CEO is a governance event with real reputational risk. Sequence the private conversation, the successor path, the equity conversation, and the external communication, in that order.
Practical steps
- Write the problem in one sentence before hiring or acting
- Name the single person who signs decisions
- Set a defined mandate with a written outcome and end date
- Separate governance decisions from operating decisions
- Communicate internally faster than externally
What good looks like
- A named operator in seat within days, not weeks
- A written 90-day plan agreed before signing
- Clear exit terms for the operator and any incumbent
- Board and shareholders aligned in writing
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