This is one of many recent articles reporting a significant CEO shuffle:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/283880_boeing05ww.html?source=mypi
Bill Ford, CEO of Ford, steps aside (although he will retain a position on the board). Alan Mulally, former CEO at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a division of Boeing, will become CEO of Ford. According to this article, Mulally was assumed by many to become Boeing's top CEO last year but instead that job went to Jim McNerney, formerly the CEO of 3M.
When I first read this article (and deciphered the many titles floating around) it sounded like Mulally was the one getting the short end of the deal. The quick timing of the shuffle as well as the fact that he was passed over for CEO last year made me think that.
But the more I thought about these events, the more I realized that good will come from them. It is always eye-opening to get an outsider's look… that's what makes consultants so valuable to have on hand: it's not always their expertise but rather their outsider's point of view.
In your business, do you have a trusted friend or mentor outside of your industry who you can talk to about what you do? They may give you inspiration that you never dreamed of simply because they're not part of your business. I have two: one's a VP at a large corporation; the other is the director of a tiny non-profit. Both of these people give me more inspiration and ideas than either of them realize because they are both outsiders.
