Corporate Executive Board – “Great if you are a lifer... not so for everyone else...”

Pros

The people - some of the most talented young people I've ever worked with
The alumni - because the talent pool is so strong and the turnover rate is high, there is a great network to draw upon
The clients - if you are member-facing, your personal network with C-level executives can be fantastic

Cons

Senior leadership - historically the leadership pool has been confined to a small core group of old timers who have been there since the 1993-1998 time period. Few are able to break in
Career advancement - see above
The product - the research remains a nice to have, not a must have
Translating skills and experience to the market - CEB is organized in such a unique way that it isn't always self-evident how one's skills transfer outside the CEB/ABC org structure

Advice to Senior Management

Move on and let some outsiders assess the situation and make some tough calls. Better yet, enable a private equity firm to purchase CEB, take it private, and cut out the fat.