Latest / Executive Careers with Fexingo: VP, C-Suite, and Senior Leadership Career Strategy / Senior Leaders Who Walk Away From Unsustainable Roles
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this case that's been sticking with me — a Fortune 500 chief marketing officer who resigned after just seven months. She left voluntarily, no scandal, no performance issue. She said publicly that the role she was hired to do was not the role that existed once she got inside. Luna: Seven months is brutal. That's barely enough time to build relationships with your direct reports, let alone deliver a transformation. Lucas: Exactly. And when you read her exit interview — she gave one to a business publication — what comes through is that the structural constraints were invisible during the hiring process. The budget she was promised got cut by forty percent two weeks before she started. The CEO who hired her was already being pushed out, so her key sponsor vanished. And the board wanted a digital transformation but refused to approve any platform migration that would take more than a quarter. Luna: So she walked into a job that was essentially impossible from day one. How common is that at the senior level? Lucas: More common than most people admit. Executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles did a study a few years back that found nearly forty percent of external C-suite hires leave within eighteen months. And the top reason isn't competence — it's fit with the role as it actually is, not as it was described. Luna: That's a staggering number. So the question becomes: how do you vet for structural reality before you accept? Lucas: Right. And I think the first thing is to recognize that a job description is a marketing document. It's what the company wants you to believe. What you need is the operating manual. So one technique I've seen senior leaders use is to ask for the previous person's exit memo — or at least a candid conversation with someone who worked closely with that person. Luna: That's a bold ask. Have you seen people actually get that? Lucas: Sometimes. If the company is serious about getting the right person, they'll allow a confidential conversation with a peer or a direct report. But if they stonewall, that itself is a signal. The other thing is to map the dependencies. Ask: 'What are the three things that have to happen for me to succeed in the first year, and who controls each one?' If all three are controlled by people who aren't in the room or who have competing incentives, that's a red flag. Luna: Let's make that concrete. What does that look like in practice? Lucas: Say you're a VP of engineering being recruited to turn around a struggling product line. You ask who controls the budget for new headcount. The answer is the CFO. You ask who controls the roadmap priorities. The answer is the product VP who's been there eight years and is resistant to change. And the CEO who wants the turnaround is already in conversations with a PE firm about selling the division. You now know that your success depends on three people whose interests may not align with yours. Luna: That's the kind of intel you almost never get from a standard interview loop. You have to actively dig for it. Lucas: And you have to be willing to walk away if the answers don't line up. That CMO I mentioned — she said later that she ignored her own instincts because the title was a step up and the compensation was life-changing. She had a list of personal must-haves that she'd written down before the search: a supportive board, a clear transformation mandate, a three-year time horizon. The job met zero of those, but she convinced herself the money made up for it. Luna: That's the trap. When the offer is in front of you, it's very hard to say no to a seven-figure package and a C-suite title. Lucas: So one thing I recommend to senior leaders is to create what I call a 'job acceptance scorecard' before you even start interviewing. Write down the five non-negotiables — things like budget authority, sponsor tenure, cultural compatibility — and score every offer against that list. If it scores below a three out of five, you don't take it, no matter the comp. Luna: That takes discipline. Most people don't want to start a search by imagining the reasons they'd say no. Lucas: Exactly. But the cost of ignoring it is huge — not just financially, but reputationally. A seven-month tenure can follow you for years. Recruiters will ask about it. Boards will wonder. And the emotional toll of trying to do an impossible job is real. Burnout at the executive level is underreported because leaders feel they can't admit weakness. Luna: So let's say someone is already in a role that's turning out to be structurally broken. What's the move? Do you try to fix it, or do you plan an exit? Lucas: The first step is to diagnose whether it's fixable. You need to have an honest conversation with your sponsor — if you still have one — and say: 'Here are the three things that are making success impossible. If we can change these, I can deliver. If not, we're both wasting time.' Sometimes the organization doesn't know how bad it is, and they'll actually adjust. Luna: But if they don't adjust — or if they say they will and then nothing changes — what then? Lucas: Then you need to plan a graceful exit. That means giving appropriate notice — typically two to three months for a senior role — and framing it not as a complaint but as a strategic mismatch. You want to say something like: 'I've come to realize that the role as it has evolved requires a different set of capabilities than what I bring, and it's in everyone's interest for me to step aside.' That protects your reputation and makes you look self-aware rather than disgruntled. Luna: I've seen executives do that well and then land their next role in a matter of months. The key is to leave before you're visibly failing, not after. Lucas: Exactly. And that brings up a related point: when you're in a senior role, your network is your safety net. You should be cultivating relationships continuously, not just when you need a job. The best time to build your next opportunity is when you're still performing well in your current one. Luna: So let's circle back to the acceptance scorecard. What are the top red flags you look for when interviewing for a senior role? Lucas: Number one: the person who would be your boss has been in their role less than a year. That suggests instability. Number two: the role has had multiple incumbents in the past three years — ask why. Number three: the company can't or won't connect you with peers who would be your stakeholders. Number four: the budget or headcount you're promised is contingent on something that hasn't been approved yet. And number five: there's a major restructuring or acquisition happening that could change the scope of the role within six months. Luna: Those are concrete. And if you see two or more, that's a serious warning. Lucas: I'd say even one should make you pause. But let's be realistic — no role is perfect. The question is whether the imperfections are manageable or fatal. And that's where the scorecard helps you be honest with yourself. Luna: You know, this discussion reminds me that a lot of senior leaders feel like they can't walk away because they've invested so much in getting the offer. But the sunk cost fallacy is real. Lucas: Absolutely. And one thing I'd add: if you're in a position where you're considering walking away, talk to a coach or a trusted peer who has no stake in the outcome. They can often see the structural issues more clearly than you can because you're inside the machine. Luna: That's good advice. And on that note — if you're a senior leader and you've gotten value out of these conversations, we want to keep them coming. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps this show ad-free and independent. If you've ever found yourself nodding along or thinking about your own career differently, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo helps us keep the lights on. Just a small amount from people who find this useful goes a long way. Lucas: Yeah, it really does. We don't do ads, we don't have sponsors — it's just listener support. So if you've appreciated the concrete frameworks we try to bring, that's the place. Now, back to the structural red flags — one more I want to mention. Luna: Please. Lucas: The sixth red flag is when the board or the leadership team can't articulate a clear definition of success for the role. If they say things like 'we want you to come in and figure it out,' that's not empowerment — that's a lack of alignment. A well-defined role has measurable outcomes for year one, year two, and year three. If they can't give you those, you're being set up to be the scapegoat when things don't work. Luna: And if you're already in the role and realize that definition doesn't exist, can you create it? Lucas: You can try. Sit down with your boss and say: 'I want to make sure we're aligned on what success looks like. Can we write down the three to five key results for this quarter?' If they can't or won't, that's a sign that the organization doesn't have its act together, and you should factor that into your decision to stay or go. Luna: I think that's a powerful takeaway. Don't assume that ambiguity is normal or acceptable — especially at the senior level. Lucas: Right. And for anyone listening who's currently in a search, or even just thinking about it: take thirty minutes this weekend to write down your personal must-haves. Not the comp, not the title. The structural things that make a role sustainable for you. That list might be the most valuable career document you ever create.