The Vancouver Sun reports in its Wednesday edition turnover among chief executive officers reached a new high of almost 15 per cent in 2013. Postmedia's Rebecca Walberg writes that while renewal at the top can indicate tighter governance and oversight, and the replacement of the CEO often leads to increases in share value at least in the short term, there are significant costs involved. When CEOs are removed for poor performance, severance pay as well as normal recruitment costs come into play. If unplanned turnover is some times a personal choice on the part of the CEO, it is still more commonly a sign that the board has lost confidence in the leader, whether they formally ask for a resignation or communicate their disapproval through unofficial means. Several high-profile CEOs have met this fate in the past 12 months, including Aaron Regent of Barrick, Ian Troop of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, Tony Fisher of Target Canada and Dov Charney of American Apparel. The reason for failure at the CEO level almost always comes down to a failure of leadership rather than technical ability, argues author Roxana Hewertson. "The problem is how executives can rise to these levels without interpersonal skills," she says.