I have to agree with grichter. You don't just go out and hire a new CEO on a whim or based on early results of a new product launch (no one at Coca Cola lost their jobs over 'New Coke'). I would think that this is even more the case if you go outside the company. Whether you do the search yourself or hire an executive search firm, the process is lengthy and the decision to do so was likely made quite some time ago.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken