The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu The leading online blog in the fields of corporate governance and financial regulation. Sun, 17 May 2026 11:30:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-photography-4-e1706898544564-1-32x32.png Beyond the First 100 Days Rhetoric: How to Ensure the Long-Term Success of New CEOs – The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu 32 32 Beyond the First 100 Days Rhetoric: How to Ensure the Long-Term Success of New CEOs https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/12/02/beyond-the-first-100-days-rhetoric-how-to-ensure-the-long-term-success-of-new-ceos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beyond-the-first-100-days-rhetoric-how-to-ensure-the-long-term-success-of-new-ceos https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/12/02/beyond-the-first-100-days-rhetoric-how-to-ensure-the-long-term-success-of-new-ceos/#respond Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:32:16 +0000 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/?p=177802?d=20251201160855EST Posted by Ty Wiggins, Russell Reynolds Associates, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Editor's Note:

Ty Wiggins is a Consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates. This post is based on a Russell Reynolds memorandum by Mr. Wiggins, Flávia Leão Fernandes, Marie-Osmonde Le Roy de Lanauze-Molines, and Andrew White.

Few ideas in leadership transitions carry as much weight as the “First 100 Days.” Boards expect quick wins. Investors look for visible signals of confidence. Employees want immediate clarity on direction. The first 100 days have become a near-mythical window for proving a leader’s legitimacy.

202 CEOs stepped down from the world’s largest public companies in 2024—up 9% since 2023.

Source: CEO Turnover Index, Russell Reynolds Associates

The problem is that this narrative, while powerful, is also overplayed. Early wins matter—but they do not alone secure a CEO’s success.

In fact, many of the challenges that determine a CEO’s long-term success don’t surface until well beyond the first 100 days: entrenched cultural resistance, stakeholder misalignment, strategy execution gaps, or the simple fatigue that follows the intensity of the early sprint. So, while a strong first impression is important, it can mask deeper vulnerabilities if it becomes the sole yardstick of success.

For boards and CHROs, the task is to shift the lens. The real test of CEO effectiveness lies not just in the opening months but in sustaining momentum through the first year and beyond.

Here, we explore why support during a CEO’s “First 100 Days” is not enough, and what CHROs can do to ensure new CEOs are supported for long-term impact.

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