Surviving the CEO Swap

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When the CEO Changes, Your Job Is on the Line

In this episode, co-hosts Scott Morris and Jackson Lynch tackle a sobering reality: when a new CEO takes over, CHROs face unprecedented turnover risk. Scott and Jackson explore why CEO transitions trigger such rapid CHRO replacement, how sitting CHROs can survive the transition, and the critical traps that turn early access into early exits. They discuss why boards don’t care about engagement scores, how to translate talent data into business narrative, and why defending past approaches is the fastest way to get replaced.

Three Key Takeaways

• CEO transitions represent board mandates, not just leadership changes – When a new CEO arrives, the board is changing expectations, rhythm, and tone. The CHRO is tied to the previous CEO’s playbook, and if you can’t pivot fast enough to reflect the new agenda, you’ll be replaced. New CEOs want their own person who matches their chemistry and cultural vision, even if that person isn’t someone they’ve worked with before.
• You’re starting from zero credibility regardless of your track record – There is no carryover credibility between CEOs. Whether the new CEO is an external hire or internal promotion, you are interviewing for your job in every conversation. Internal promotions to CEO are actually more likely to trigger CHRO changes, which means you can’t assume organizational knowledge protects you.
• Translation is a superpower, defensiveness is a death sentence – CHROs who survive CEO transitions translate talent data into business narrative before the CFO does. If you’re explaining “why we did it the old way” while the CFO is discussing declining productivity in business terms, you’ve already lost. Forget about defending previous programs and focus on aligning with the new playbook immediately.

Practical Advice

The CHRO Survival Framework for CEO Transitions:

1. Adapt your playbooks immediately – Be willing to reframe or abandon programs that worked under the previous CEO. Boards confuse consistency with complacency, so flexibility signals you’re aligned with the change agenda rather than anchored to the past.
2. Translate HR metrics into business language – Don’t present engagement scores while your CFO presents declining productivity. Instead, frame engagement as profit: “High engagement teams are 18% more profitable – we have a $40 million opportunity in underperforming units.” Tie people strategy directly to capital outcomes.
3. Simplify your scorecard – Use metrics that matter to boards: revenue per employee, talent density, retention of top performers, and speed to impact. Use Gallup Q12 question one (“I know what is expected of me at work”) as your clarity measure – only 47% of employees can agree with this statement, representing massive performance opportunity.
4. Get early access and use it wisely – Secure face time with the new CEO quickly, but don’t confuse early access with early trust. Every conversation is an interview. Understand their rhythm, priorities, and playbook faster than anyone else on the team.

Remember: Speed defines your survival. The faster you understand the new priority system and demonstrate business fluency, the better your chances of staying in the game and ultimately leading it.

Want More?

1. The CEO trap—why CHROs face the highest C-suite turnover risk – Research shows between 52-70% of CHROs are eventually replaced following a CEO transition. This Fortune analysis explores the four factors for CHRO success based on over a decade of research into what separates high performers from those who exit (Fortune, May 2025)
2. Why Teams with High Engagement Are More Profitable – Gallup research showing the 18% profitability advantage of high-engagement teams and comprehensive Q12 methodology for measuring workplace alignment (Gallup, 2023)
3. How to make a strong start as a CEO – McKinsey analysis on how new CEOs establish priorities during transitions and the four key elements that apply regardless of situation, based on interviews with 70 of the world’s best-performing CEOs (McKinsey & Company, August 2023)

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