Julie Roehm, 36, as director of marketing communications at Chrysler Group, is no ordinary executive. When Wal-Mart came knocking, Roehm had been working at Chrysler for nearly five years. It was a company that all sides agree fit her temperament perfectly. "We're probably the edgiest automaker in terms of the things we try. And the times Julie went over the edge have been well documented," says Jason Vines, the automaker's chief spokesman.
Roehm was flattered when headhunter Spencer Stuart contacted her in September of 2005 about the possibility of joining Wal-Mart. She saw an opportunity to head a marketing communications department and be part of a potentially exciting effort to transform the company and its image. However, Roehm and her husband, Michael, who looks after their two boys, age 5 and 8, wondered about moving from suburban Detroit to Bentonville. And from the moment she arrived at Wal-Mart on Feb. 6, 2006, Roehm recognized that fitting in would be harder than she had imagined.
A leadership onboarding coach would have worked with her to keep a low profile and spend her first 100 days listening to build productive relationships within the company. However, that's not her default behavioral style. "I get overly excited," she acknowledges. "I wanted to hit the ground running. Go, go, go." Unfortunately, no one told her to back off.
Roehm acknowledged mistakes, among them moving too quickly and not adapting to her new workplace. But she also paints a picture of warring fiefdoms and a passive-aggressive culture that was hostile to outsiders. Wal-Mart, she says, "would rather have had a painkiller [than] taken the vitamin of change." What has she learned? "The importance of culture. It can't be underestimated."
When Julie Roehm was fired in December 2006, a legal combat ensued. An alleged affair, improper gifts of fancy meals and booze, and a big pink diamond were all part of the mix of charges and countercharges. In November 2007, Roehm acknowledged that some of her allegations were inaccurate and said she was dropping her suit for wrongful termination without getting a dime. In return, Wal-Mart agreed to dismiss its claims against Roehm.
Women executives can shoot themselves in the foot when they lack contextual knowledge due to not really getting the corporate culture. This knowledge gap can lead to difficult problems from direct reports to the board of directors. Every department, business unit, division and enterprise has a culture that the leader must respect or the culture will push the leader out.
Are you ready to start doing things differently to achieve the success you deserve?
In our role as executive and personal development coaches, we see a number of highly skilled clients who are in need of some fine-tuning when it comes to be recognized and supported for their abilities. These are intelligent, committed and hard working people. They are valued for their technical expertise but miss some of the nuances or "invisible rules" that are required to be chosen for further advancement.
Since the culture at most companies has been shaped over time by male executives, women can be at a disadvantage when it comes to picking up on gender-based differences and subtle cues. A report by Catalyst, a New York-based nonprofit, "Women and Men in U. S. Corporate Leadership: Same Workplace, Different Realities," found that 81% of women said that "adopting a style with which male managers are comfortable" is an important or very important strategy to advance one's career.
If the women in your organization are feeling some insight would be helpful to advance their careers, they are not alone.
At a time when 50.3% of all managers and professionals are female, women still comprise fewer than 2% of Fortune 1,000 CEOs and just 7.9% of Fortune 500 top earners. The Glass Ceiling (www.GlassCeilingTips.com) remains unbroken.
Perhaps, you know of women managers, where you work or within your personal network, that are ready to start doing things slightly different in order to achieve the success they deserve. If so, suggest they check out our blog for career women at: www.CareerWomenCoaching.com
Source: BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007 and November 19, 2007