Baffling C-suite resignations are never a good thing

HIRING and firing the chief executive of a company is the prerogative of the board although one is always trickier than the other. It is also the most important task before a governing board that has far-reaching consequences.

While it may be easier to defend the removal of a bumbling chieftain when a company's fortunes are flailing, the task requires some deft communication if the boss is performing up to scratch.

After all, aren't promising financials and shareholder value creation the all-important benchmarks for a board to judge the chief executive's performance? Not always, as it turns out.