CEO Just Resigned: First 30 Days Playbook
When a CEO resigns, the first 30 days decide whether the company drifts or stabilises. Name an acting or interim CEO within a week, protect cash and customers, communicate honestly with staff and the board, and only then start the permanent search. Speed and clarity matter more than perfection.
Week one priorities
- Name an acting or interim CEO within 7 days
- Freeze non essential spend, protect cash runway
- Personal call to the top 10 customers
- One honest all hands from the chair
- Board meets weekly until stable
Weeks two to four
Stabilise the operating rhythm: weekly leadership meetings, a two page situation report to the board, a cash forecast refreshed weekly. The interim CEO reads the leadership team, keeps the pipeline moving, and gives the board a clean picture of what the permanent successor is actually inheriting.
What not to do
- Do not promote internally under pressure without a real read
- Do not launch a rushed permanent search in the first week
- Do not stay silent with customers or investors
- Do not let the outgoing CEO keep making decisions
https://niklaslindahl.com/guides/ceo-just-resigned-first-30-days