Much of the emotional writing around Bob Nardelli (former CEO of Home Depot) involves his pay package and the implication that he was incompetent. But what is the actual transgression he committed? You’ll notice that many of the articles attack his severance package without listing the reason why he was ousted by the board.
Home Depot’s profits doubled in his 6 years as CEO. The new housing market was quite strong during this period, but he still deserves credit as being the leader during this time. Today I found a Pioneer Planet article titled Home Depot looks to move past missteps under ex-CEO that finally discusses Nardelli’s “missteps.”
The new chief executive, Frank Blake, took the stage and apologized for last year’s infamous annual meeting, when Nardelli refused to take questions from investors, and members of the company’s board stayed home, at their leader’s urging.
…
Blake tried hard to distance the proceedings from last year’s session, which was viewed as a botched effort to muzzle angry shareholders. Last year, for example, Nardelli employed large digital timers that cut off speakers after one minute.
The theme of this year’s shareholder day was openness. Blake used the word several times and tried to show that he meant it, fielding long-winded, critical questions and discussing Home Depot’s business problems.
Since Nardelli did none of those things last year – he concluded the gathering after 37 minutes – investors said the bar for transparency had been set rather low.
That’s right, Nardelli’s style of management was the major issue in his leadership. This is conjecture, but I would bet my bottom dollar that Mr. Nardelli is a High D (Dominance) style. This style is typically aggressive, blunt, forceful – the type that often looks for a fight.
The High D style is a dangerous one in a leadership position. They often act on impulse, set an arbitrary course and discount people in favor of tasks. You can see where this general style can get in real trouble in today’s world.
We’ve seen some tremendous flame-outs from High D leaders amongst our clients. The energy of their leadership is initially infectious to owners and boards, but their style, over time, grates on others unless it is kept in check.