By Jack Cumming
It can come as a shock to be let go from a corporate job, not due to anything you did, but due to the arcane workings of corporate politics. Lee Iacocca famously writes of how that feels. Cindy Baier may be feeling that now.
The Recruiting Rat Race
More insidious, though, is discovering how unimaginative corporate recruiting and HR vetting have become. That can be discouraging for talented people. Lee Iacocca was lucky. No sooner was he fired as Ford’s president than the top job at Chrysler opened up, and he took it. It wasn’t easy for him. The simple truth is that jobs like that don’t become open if all is going well.
For the right person, taking over a mess is a challenge to be welcomed. That can be more rewarding than a big pay package. Those outlandish compensation packages are what mediocrities consider their just rewards. Great leaders focus on mission. Their lifestyle is secondary to challenge and accomplishment.
Cindy Baier has already found recognition from her church. That speaks well of her character. I have no doubt that she will land on her feet, perhaps even right back at Brookdale after the board comes to its senses. If she’s wise, she’ll have learned from the experience and will no longer kowtow to outside vultures.
Mutual Loyalty Is Gone
There is no shame in losing one’s job. It may even be an indicator of competence and good character. The days of mutual loyalty between employer and employees have passed.
Today, we often see activist investor vultures press for questionable changes, like checked bag fees at Southwest Airlines. As businesses become both more short-term focused and adaptive to ill-considered outside criticisms, principled executives are often tossed out to make way for corporate politicians. Perhaps it reflects the nation’s political dynamic so prominent in today’s news.
Taking Stock
Now is a time for Cindy Baier, to cite just one prominent example, to take stock of what she would imagine her dream job to be. I’m going to assume that her dream is more about performance and less the kind of wizardry that Ortelius thinks is so compelling.
Remember John Houseman voicing a business truth on behalf of Smith Barney. “We make money the old-fashioned way,” he intoned, “we earn it.” Business is tough. It’s tougher than writing letters to Brookdale’s board. Trust is fragile and must be earned.
Quality, too, is tough and requires hard work. Customer satisfaction is challenging, but it draws more customers. Happy customers are the key to success for any business, especially for senior housing. That requires operating excellence with sound judgment, not the superficial intervention of greedy outsiders.
Cindy Baier now has an unfettered opportunity to consider what could bring her the most satisfaction. That might involve a concept for making a senior housing enterprise successful. It might be something entirely different.
Forge Your Own Future
It hurts to be cast aside by an enterprise to which you’ve given your all, but a new world awaits. If you don’t like the corporate nonsense of search firms and recruiters, start your own business or find your own path. Your dream job may not be a job at all.
As for Cindy Baier, she once said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’m not worried about Cindy. She’ll learn from the experience, and she’ll likely do better for herself than Brookdale will for itself. I’m eager to follow her future.
