????掌控一家大公司可不容易，要能長時間加班加點、承受高壓、還有業績目標隨時如芒在背，沒有幾個人生來具備這些素質。在竭盡全力讓公司贏利的同時，還要不斷面對董事們的種種要求、不滿的客戶和生氣的員工。

????顯然，老板并不總是那么好當的。

????今年以來，我們已看到各公司內斗和層出不窮的出格行為，讓好些首席執行官要么辭職走人，要么被掃地出門。有媒體報道稱，在一場因公司創始人應獲得多大控制權而引發的爭斗之后，全球最大的眼鏡商羅薩奧蒂卡集團（Luxottica Group）上周將上任還不到兩個月的第二任首席執行官請出了公司。

????美國服飾公司（American Apparel）創始人多夫?查尼一向目中無人，行為多有不端。6月份，查尼再爆丑聞，該公司終于和他徹底決裂。在傳出一起家暴丑聞后，在線廣告平臺RadiumOne公司也裁掉了它的首席執行官。體育場食品供應商Centerplate公司的首席執行官也下臺了，原因是一段曝光的視頻顯示，他在電梯里猛踢一只小狗。最后，在聽說自己即將在翌日被裁的消息后，太平洋投資管理公司（Pimco）創始人、“債券之王”比爾?格羅斯干脆跳到了自家的對手Janus公司。

????不過，首席執行官離職也并不都是小報爆料的題材。很多掌門人都是優雅去職的，并沒有把身后的公司當成一棟被遺忘的單身公寓。比如彭尼百貨公司(J.C. Penney)近期就任命馬文?埃里森為候補首席執行官，等邁克?烏爾曼2015年8月退休后就可上任。就連甲骨文公司（Oracle）創始人拉里?埃里森也決定退居二線，正式將首席執行官的職責讓渡給薩夫拉?卡茨和馬克?赫德。

????當前，在首席執行官的薪酬漲個沒完的情況下，能在工作和生活間找到平衡似乎更顯誘人。此時來看看那些離職后既沒留下爛攤子，也沒有丑聞或甚至是法律糾紛的領導者就格外讓人神清氣爽了。

????以下就是五位深諳領導之道的首席執行官，哪怕這意味著公司沒有他們照樣可以蒸蒸日上。

????Not many people are built for the long hours, high stress, target-on-your-back reality that comes with running a large company. You’re constantly subject to the demands of the board of directors, upset customers, and annoyed employees, all while attempting to steer a company to profitability.

????Of course, it doesn’t always go swimmingly.

????This year, we’ve seen a rash of infighting and outrageous behavior that has led to a number of CEOs to quit or be shown the door. Luxottica Group, the largest eyewear maker in the world, shuffled out their second CEO in less than two months last week, following a struggle over how much control should be given to the founder of the company, according to reports.

????American Apparel APP 0.00% finally cut ties with its brash founder DovCharney in June in the wake of one among many claims of misconduct. Online advertising platform RadiumOne fired its CEO following a domestic abuse scandal. Stadium food vendor Centerplate’s CEO stepped down after video showed him kicking a dog in an elevator. Finally, “Bond King” Bill Gross left Pimco, the company he founded, to join competitor Janus in the midst of reports that he was to be fired the next day.

????Then again, CEO departures aren’t all tabloid-fodder. Many leaders step down gracefully, without treating the organization like a forgotten bachelor pad. Look at J.C. Penney JCP -0.65% , which recently named Marvin Ellison as CEO-in-waiting until Mike Ullman retires in August 2015. Or even Oracle ORCL 1.46% , whose founder Larry Ellison decided to step aside and officially yield chief executive duties to SafraCatz and Mark Hurd.

????In a time when work-life balance seems ever-more enticing while CEO pay knows no bounds, it’s refreshing to find examples of leaders stepping down without poor results, scandal, or even legal issues following in their wake.

????Here are five CEOs who knew how to lead, even if it meant realizing that the company would be a better place without them.