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Fresh eyes drive change. Stale eyes resist it. And in my experience, the turning point usually comes around year three in role.

Year 1–2: Fresh Energy, Fresh Thinking

When someone steps into a new role, they bring fire. They’re eager to prove themselves. They’re seeing everything for the first time—processes, people, opportunities, inefficiencies.

That “outside the box” thinking founders love to preach? It happens naturally, because the person isn’t in the box yet.

So those first two years are usually the most innovative. The leader tries new things, shakes up the team, restructures processes, introduces fresh strategies. It’s messy, but it moves the business forward.

Year 3: Efficiency Takes Over

By year three, most leaders have it figured out. They know the expectations. They know how to deliver results.

The innovation slows, not because they’re lazy, but because they’ve optimized. The mindset shifts from ‘What could we change?’ to ‘How can I hit my targets as efficiently as possible?’

It’s a natural pivot: efficiency becomes the goal. Innovation becomes an afterthought.

Year 4–5: Resistance Sets In

Here’s where it gets dangerous. By year four or five, a leader has their department dialed in. It runs smoothly. They know how to meet or exceed expectations with minimal stress.

Then a new idea shows up. It might be a great idea. It might be the right idea. But to the leader who’s optimized their shop, that idea looks like risk:

• More work.
• More uncertainty.
• More chances to miss targets.

So the natural response? Resistance. Not open hostility. Just inertia. Subtle pushback. The “let’s not reinvent the wheel” mentality.

And just like that, innovation dies.

The Company-Wide Effect

Now zoom out. Look at your entire executive team.

• If the average time in role is under 3 years, you’ll see fresh energy. New ideas flow. Change happens organically.
• If the average time creeps past 3 years, inertia takes hold. The machine starts to resist.
• If the average tenure is 5 years or more, you’re running a museum, not a growth company.

It’s not about people being bad or lazy. It’s about human nature. We all optimize for efficiency over time. And efficiency kills innovation.

What CEOs Must Do

The answer isn’t to churn people every three years. It’s to design against inertia:

• Rotate roles and responsibilities. Keep leaders fresh by giving them new challenges before they stagnate.
• Bring in fresh perspectives. Hire outsiders, even selectively, to keep the team sharp.
• Set innovation as an expectation. Make it part of the scoreboard, not an optional add-on.
• Watch your averages. Pay attention to the team’s average time in role. When it creeps too high, you know inertia is building.

The Brutal Reality

I’ve seen too many companies confuse tenure with strength. They think, “Our team has been together forever. That’s a competitive advantage.”

Sometimes it is. More often, it’s a warning sign. A team that’s been together too long, in the same roles, is a team that’s quietly optimized itself into irrelevance.

Closing Thought

Innovation has a shelf life. If you want fresh thinking, you need fresh eyes. That doesn’t mean constant turnover—it means consciously injecting new perspectives before inertia hardens.

Because the minute your company stops innovating, the clock starts ticking. And no amount of efficiency will save you once the market passes you by.