Recently, someone close to The Estée Lauder Companies pointed out the practicality of newish C.E.O. Stéphane de La Faverie. A handful of his recent initiatives, beyond his McKinsey-esque “Beauty Reimagined” strategy, involved simply acting on “the questions other people have asked for ages,” this person said—from why MAC Cosmetics wasn’t sold at Sephora in the U.S. to why the company hadn’t partnered with Shopify. But what if de La Faverie took a page from Kering C.E.O. Luca de Meo and also did something truly radical, like sell off the brands diverting attention from the priority businesses? After all, less than six weeks after taking the reins, de Meo completely offloaded Kering’s beauty arm for $4.7 billion, and may be preparing to do the same with Alexander McQueen. Now, the luxury giant can focus on its core businesses while enjoying a much-needed cash infusion.