Introduction
The UK is currently deafened by the sound of executives crashing and burning as their careers derail in the unfolding phone hacking scandal – Rebecca Brooks and John Yates to name just two. Robert Kaiser argues that there is an identifiable phenomena of ‘high fliers’ who see their career progress suddenly interrupted when a firestorm erupts around them, as is happening in News International right now. The question is, why do some executives come to such an abrupt end? Is it just bad luck, or is it something to do with the attributes they bring to the job?