For other leaders, calling it quits means taking more drastic measures, like stepping down. Take Bill Ford, who served on his company's board since 1999, and was then made CEO in 2001. After several years, he realized that he wasn't the right person to lead the company. Instead, he took the position of executive chairman and brought on former Boeing executive Alan Mulally as CEO in 2006. "Boy there's a good example of a guy that recognizes his own lack of skills," says Jerry Cavanagh, a professor of business ethics at the University of Detroit Mercy. Ford Motor (F) made it through the crisis, and was one of the few American auto companies that didn't receive bailout money. Cavanagh credits both Alan Mulally and Bill Ford for this.