ninety-day wonder

Advanced 💼 Corporate / Business

Definition

A new executive or consultant who shows up, makes sweeping changes without understanding context, then leaves or gets promoted before the consequences hit. Hurricane management with a three-month fuse.

Example Usage

Our new VP is a classic ninety-day wonder—she reorganized everything, alienated the senior team, and got promoted before her changes destroyed morale.

Origin

Military term from WWII referring to officers from accelerated 90-day training programs, adapted for business in the 1980s-90s

Fun Fact

Studies show that significant organizational changes require 18-24 months to properly assess, making 90-day tenures particularly destructive.

Source: Management and organizational change terminology

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