Today Seth Godin wrote a post entitled, ‘Do you want to be like Bob?‘ pertaining to Bob Nardelli, the now former CEO of Home Depot. Seth says he most likely got fired “for deliverately ruining a decent brand by aggressively annoying all [their] constituents”. He annoyed customers and berated investors – but I don’t believe that’s all.
I remember back to reading a Business Week March 2006 cover story on Bob called ‘Renovating Home Depot‘. I also remembered while reading it that there is no way I’d ever work for Home Depot under Bob’s fascist reign. Not only did he create an obtrusive exterior to the company he created what BW called a “Culture of Fear” internally. He’s ex-military and runs his company that way. BW notes…
The high stakes of Home Depot’s services gambit is one of the main reasons Nardelli has pushed his cultural makeover so hard in the five years since he has been at the helm. But not all have embraced him, or his plans. BusinessWeek spoke with 11 former executives, a majority of whom requested anonymity lest the company sue them for violating nondisclosure agreements. Some describe a demoralized staff and say a “culture of fear” is causing customer service to wane.
BW goes on to tell a story of a former employee which depicts Bob’s management style.
Some of the same former managers who blame Nardelli’s hardball approach for corroding the service ethic at Home Depot describe a culture so paralyzed with fear that they didn’t worry about whether they would be terminated, but when. One night last year, an unnamed executive in the lighting department at Home Depot headquarters left fliers on desks and in elevators containing a litany of complaints about Home Depot, including Nardelli’s giant pay package and the high level of executive turnover. The rebel, say other former executives, was tracked down by security cameras and immediately fired. Citing concerns about the employee’s privacy, Home Depot declined to comment on the incident.
In break rooms, the company pipes in HD-TV, short for Home Depot television. But employees have mocked it as “Bobaganda,” referring to Nardelli, for its constant drone of tips, warnings, and executive messages. Every Monday night, for example, store chief Liebert and Tom Taylor, executive vice-president for marketing and merchandising, host a 25-minute live broadcast for senior store staff on the week’s most important priorities called The Same Page. “These are [their] marching orders for the week,” says Liebert.
No Seth – I do not want to be like Bob. Nor would I ever work with or for anyone like Bob. That style of management is ineffective these days – especially with my generation. If you treat your employees like that no one wants to work for you. And when your in that situation your only employees are those that have to work for you.
Tags: Bob Nardelli, Home Depot, Management
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