We might not ever know for sure if Carly Fiorina heard Donald Trump’s trademarked words – “Your Fired! ” But what we do know for sure is Carly has left Hewlett Packard after six years as chairman and CEO at the request of the board of directors. Both businesswomen and businessmen across the country know we have lost a charismatic, high profile executive who was never afraid to stand up for her convictions.
Like any senior executive , Carly Fiorina had her fans and her enemies. Celebrity comes with positives and negatives. Carly staked her career on taking HP in a new direction by pushing through the acquisition of Compaq Computer Corporation in 2002. The deal was highly contested from both sides and she faced an uphill battle as she fought to lessen HP’s dependence on the imaging division.
Carly is always referred to as a “passionate” leader and a role model for senior executive women. The media has done its best to scrutinize her from every angle and use her as a badge for women’s leadership in the US. In fact, she is a role model for all senior executives, male and female, and is being held accountable for her decisions.
When HP missed its numbers in the third quarter and the price of shares took a fall , the writing may well have been on the proverbial wall. Boards of directors hold CEOs responsible for their shareholders. At some point time runs out for the leader.
In this case, it may not be the strategy but the timing of the strategy that led the board to ask for Carly’s resignation. Carly Fiorina did not get her job because she is a woman or lose her job because she is a woman. She was the first, in every interview and every speaking event; to make it clear she played no gender card. Business is business; there are no male and female divisions.
So, as women all over the country talk today about losing one more role model in the corner office , let’s hope we take some satisfaction in that her severance package shows no reflection of her gender - $21.1 million.
Carly Fiorina - To learn more about this author, visit Vicki Donlan's Website.
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