Why Canon USA Needs Fresh Leadership to Survive!

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In today’s fast-paced business world, many established companies, including Canon Inc., are failing to innovate and adapt. The culprit? Long-tenured middle management that’s content to ride out the clock. Too often, these managers—who’ve been with the company for decades—aren’t pushing for the disruptive changes needed to secure long-term growth. Instead, they’re coasting toward retirement, unwilling to make the hard decisions that would save their organizations from decline.

Take, for example, iconic companies like Canon, Xerox, and Kodak. While their CEOs may come and go, it’s the third-level managers who hold the real power to drive vision and execution. Yet, these managers are often not aligned with the urgent need for transformation. They’ve seen it all, and as far as they’re concerned, things have always worked just fine. But “just fine” isn’t good enough anymore. Especially when key business lines—like print and cameras—are in irreversible decline.

In a sector where innovation is key to survival, it’s the entrenched management layer that’s preventing companies from adjusting course. These managers are protecting their own comfort, riding the “gravy train” until they retire, and are terrified of making waves. As a result, they’re complacent in the face of shrinking markets, declining demand, and an inability to capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Innovation Dies Slowly Under the Weight of the Comfortable
Take the print industry, for example. With office printing in decline and production print struggling to stay profitable, you’d think companies like Canon would be focused on pivoting to new revenue streams. But too many executives are dragging their feet while middle managers—many of whom have been in the same role for 20+ years—continue to cling to outdated business models.

And it’s not just print. Cameras, once a lucrative market for Canon, are increasingly irrelevant in a world where smartphones are the go-to choice for photography. Yet, the same middle management that once prospered in the heyday of traditional cameras is still holding the company’s future hostage. They’re stuck in the past, unwilling or unable to acknowledge the industry’s transformation.

The Hard Truth: A company’s leadership culture is the ultimate bottleneck for innovation, not the CEO’s vision. When middle management is too entrenched, too comfortable, and too risk-averse, the company becomes like a ship with a sinking hull—but no one’s willing to acknowledge the leak because they’re too close to retirement.

The Solution: Fresh Blood and Fearless Leadership
If companies like Canon want to survive, they need to be more brutal with their management layers. It’s time to stop coddling long-term employees and start looking for leaders who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. Companies must hire outsiders, inject fresh perspectives, and empower younger managers with the authority to make tough decisions.

Otherwise, the cycle of stagnation will continue, and these companies will slowly fade into irrelevance—while the managers who could’ve saved them collect their pension checks. The sad reality? These companies won’t change until they forcefully shed their outdated management layers. And by then, it might be too late.

[Author]

June 5, 2025 at 1:25 PM