Demotions rarely work out long-term. More often, they’re a slower, more awkward way for someone to leave a company.

Your job as a company leader isn’t to assume they’ll see it the way you do. Your job is to clearly tell the story

Roles change faster than people, and executive tenures are often short. In cases of true rapid scale (a business that’s 3–10×ing every year), I tell people to expect leaders to last about 18 months. Let them surprise you by lasting longer, but don’t let it surprise you if it’s shorter.