When Leaders Return: New Battle Plans for Returning Generals

Can leaders return? A year after Twitter founder Jack Dorsey returned to office, his stock has crashed by over 60%. Similarly failed returns plagued Charles Schwab and Yahoo’s Jerry Yang, raising the question of whether leaders can ever go home again. Yet, ample evidence suggests that retired generals can be recalled to active duty to lead a mission to greater glory. World War II was a triumph of heroes returning to office, such as: Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, Douglas McArthur and George Patton. Surely the success of such returnees as Apple’s Steve Jobs, Dell’s Michael Dell, Starbucks’ Howard Schultz, Google’s Larry Page, Reddit’s Steve Huffman and Procter & Gamble’s A.G. Lafley remind us that such heroic returns are also possible in corporate life.