????人人對商界東山再起的神話總是津津樂道。毫無疑問，成為某企業的“救世主”同樣也會給個人事業的發展大大加分，這也是眾多高管愿意加盟“問題公司”，并期望大展身手的原因。

????但是，接受這種挑戰的CEO們所要承受的時間壓力也許是他們之前從未經歷過的。尤其是當今社會“及時滿足”盛行，一旦涉及投資回報，他們必須在短時間內就能有所建樹；要知道，在獲取信息異常方便的今天，監督企業的發展進度并非難事。

????最近，一些CEO們終于耗盡了股東的耐心，被“掃地出門”。例如，雅虎（Yahoo）前任CEO 卡羅爾?巴茨在本月早些時候不幸被解雇。在股東們的眼里，任職兩年的巴茨并沒有讓處境艱難的雅虎重振昔日雄風。

????同樣，美國在線（AOL）的股東們正對蒂姆?阿姆斯特朗的復興戰略憂心忡忡。據悉，AOL最近幾個季度的收入情況很不理想，許多業內人士都迫切希望看到AOL取得積極的進展。

????但是，一家企業的復蘇到底需要多長時間？高管獵頭公司Wyatt & Jaffe總裁馬克?謝斐給出的答案是8個季度。他說：“我記得以前的期限是16個季度，不過那是互聯網泡沫出現之前。二十世紀90年代，我們會給人們更長的時間，因為，我們認為，要做成一件事就得花費更長的時間。”

????美國西北大學凱洛格管理學院（Northwestern's Kellogg school of management）的管理學教授詹姆斯?施恩稱，8個季度算是很慷慨了。新上任的CEO最多在四個季度之內就要做出顯著的成績。他不但要實現盈利，還要制定目標明確的計劃，而這個計劃要同時讓專家、公司董事會和股東信服。

????當然，扭轉公司不利局面所需的時間與公司手頭上可支配的資金直接相關。瀕臨破產的公司大多沒有時間來追求重塑品牌這樣高遠的戰略目標。但對于AOL這樣的流動資金相對充裕、經營模式卻過于陳腐的公司，回旋的余地稍微充分一點。

明確的衡量標準是關鍵

????Everybody loves a corporate comeback. They sure look good on a resume, too, which means that the prospect of a turnaround often lures executives to take charge of troubled companies.

????But CEOs who do accept the challenge are on the clock in a way that they may not have been before. In a society accustomed to instant gratification, especially when it comes to a return on the money we invest, the timeline for turnarounds are shorter; everyone has access to more information, and they can monitor a company's progress.

????Recently, some CEOs have borne the brunt of shareholder impatience. Yahoo's (YHOO) board ousted Carol Bartz from the CEO chair earlier this month after what they saw was an unsuccessful two-year attempt to revive the struggling tech company to its former Internet glory.

????Likewise, shareholders are getting restless about Tim Armstrong's turnaround strategy for flagging digital brand AOL (AOL). The company's most recent quarterly earnings report was dismal, and many in the industry are anxious to see positive results.

????But how much time should a turnaround take? Eight quarters, says Mark Jaffe, president of executive search firm Wyatt & Jaffe. "I remember when it used to be 16," he says, "but that was before the Internet bubble. Back in the 90s, we used to give people more time. We simply thought it took longer to do things."

????Eight quarters is actually generous, says James Shein, a management professor at Northwestern's Kellogg school of management. A new CEO needs to show significant progress in four quarters at the most, he adds. Not that the company needs to be profitable, but there has to be a plan with clear goals that convinces experts as well as a company's board and shareholders.

????Of course, the amount of time a CEO should realistically have to turn a company around is directly related to the cash a company has on hand. Companies headed for bankruptcy simply don't have time to bounce around a lofty re-branding strategy. Companies with a relatively reliable stream of cash but a stale business model, such as AOL, have a little bit more leeway.

Clarity is key