Blogswap article: What We Can Learn from the Julie Roehm/Wal Mart Split

What We Can Learn from the Julie Roehm/Wal Mart Split

[This CollegeRecruiter.com Blogswap article is courtesy of Recruiting.com and CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students and recent graduates who are searching for internships and entry level jobs.]

If you read the Wall Street Journal on December 11, 2006 you may have seen the cover story about how Wal Mart fired their Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications, Julie Roehm. When I read the story my heart went out to Ms. Roehm. Julie Roehm had a successful career in Detroit as a star marketer of vehicles. In February 2006 she was recruited to Wal Mart and moved her family south to Arkansas. By December 2006 Wal Mart had turned its back on her.

Certainly it is possible that some of the rumors about Ms. Roehm's conduct at Wal Mart were true. However, I think it is more likely that Ms. Roehm and Wal Mart were simply culturally incompatible. It wouldn't be the first time that a super-star outsider found herself at odds with a new employer. And it wouldn't be the first time that the employer made negative allegations against the super-star as a way to justify termination.

I have a few thoughts about what we might be able to learn from Ms. Roehm's experience at Wal Mart.

1. Company Culture Matters
When you are interviewing for a job it's expected that you, the candidate, are conducting research into your potential employer's financial health, management structure, and financing. You should also pay close attention to the corporate culture. Is the company conservative? Does the culture promote risk taking? Are new ideas welcomed or feared? Talk to as many employees as you can to find out about the culture and be honest with yourself about how well you will fit into the corporate culture. Don't take a job just because you are flattered by the offer. A good opportunity can turn bad in a hurry if you do not understand and mesh with the established culture.

2. When the Going Gets Tough, They May Find A Reason to Fire You
Sometimes super-stars and change agents are hired by stodgy companies to "shake things up". And, if the person is hired at a high enough level and is given enough support by the Board and senior management they may be successful. But other times change agents do exactly what they were hired to do and are surprised when the very folks who so enthusiastically hired them toss them to the wolves. I think that the reason that this happens is that super-star change agent’s challenge the status quo and that can be more difficult to deal with than people anticipate. When jealous subordinates start to complain it's sometimes easier to fire the change agent than it is to stick with the plans that involved change in the first place. In other words, senior management thinks that change is a good idea so they hire a talented outsider. But, when the going gets tough, they turn their back on the very person they hired to carry out their directives.

3. If They Want You Gone, They Will Do Whatever it Takes to Get Rid of You
One of the reasons I am so sympathetic to Ms. Roehm is the rumor and innuendo about her personal conduct that managed to find its way into the article about her termination from Wal Mart. I have worked with many clients who were devastated when they were either put on probation or fired based upon rumors or faulty information.

Firing employees, particularly high profile ones, can be risky for employers so they tend to come up with reasons (real or exaggerated) for termination. I don't know anything about Ms. Roehm's ethical conduct at Wal Mart but I do know that prior to her employment by Wal Mart I had never heard anything except rave reviews for her creativity, performance, and conduct. It wouldn't be the first time that a company played fast and loose with the facts to get rid of an employee that they just didn't like very much. I just think it’s a shame that the rumors managed to make it to the front page of the WSJ because that kind of exposure has to be very painful to Ms. Roehm.

What I would take away from Ms. Roehm's recent firing is simply to be careful when taking a job as a change agent. If you are hired to create a new line of business, shake up an existing department, or to quickly increase profits you have to make absolutely certain that you have the support of the folks that hired you. And, hire an attorney to help you craft an employment contract that protects your reputation and finances if you and your employer decide to part ways for any reason.

By: Liz Handlin, Ultimate Resumes LLC, © copyright 2006