The Mark of a Leader – Part I

The following is a reprise of a blog I wrote for the readers of SCMR more than five years ago. It is as relevant now, as it was then.

The following is a true story. Not that many years ago a major corporation conducted an executive search for a new Chief Procurement Officer. The search was successful, and the new CPO reported for duty at his new company.

Beyond the normal “HR” stuff a new employee needs to complete on his first day, the CPO also had the opportunity for an expansive discussion with his new boss.

One of the topics the CPO raised related to specific expectations the boss had for him in this role. One aspect of the response surprised the CPO: the boss indicated that in his opinion a significant number of employees would need to be replaced in the organization the CPO was inheriting.

The boss indicated that he had come to that conclusion because he was disappointed with the results generated by the employees. When asked what magnitude of employee turnover might be appropriate, the boss said “at least 25%.” Wow!

This figure and comment astonished the CPO for three reasons:

• during the interview process, no indication was given that the staff might be so poor; on the contrary
• the 25% figure equated to more than 50 persons
• the boss indicated that he would support firing, and hiring, that many people (ie. this was not a budget cutting move)

The CPO faced a challenge, and an opportunity. How he handled it is a revealing anecdote about leadership.

[This story concludes in Part II.]

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