Leaders should be changed periodically

What Mark Twain said of politicians—that like diapers, they should be changed periodically — applies to business leaders as well. Exceptions apart, a healthy CEO tenure is less than 10 years. American presidency is restricted to two terms. Among Indian prime ministers — Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh — all started well. After seven years in office, each of them started to lose leadership impact. There seems to be a jinx after 7-10 years. 

When leaders linger long, warning signals of reduced effectiveness begin, often increasing in intensity. Three examples from the public domain — first, the