Home Depot’s Ted Decker Steps Aside: What the CEO’s Medical Leave Reveals About the Retail Giant’s Resilience

Home Depot’s CEO Leave Is a Reminder Every Business Needs a Succession Plan

Plan for the leader you never expected to lose.

Home Depot’s Ted Decker Steps Aside: What the CEO’s Medical Leave Reveals About the Retail Giant’s Resilience

Home Depot’s announcement landed with quiet force. On August 12, 2026, the world’s largest home improvement retailer disclosed that chair, president and CEO Ted Decker would take a temporary medical leave of absence. He is expected to return within the next few months. Shares slipped. Yet the company’s machinery kept turning. Decker joined Home Depot in 2000. He rose through operations, supply chain and merchandising roles before taking the top …