What is the macabre fascination that we have in the UK with failures? Why do we seem to seem to reward executives that have performed badly and why do other business executives seem to think this is ok to do? Have we developed failure lemmings, transfixed by media reputations and media spin, rather than looking at reality?
So, where I am going with this? Well, after reading an article in The Sunday Times yesterday, I was amazed to see that the ex-CEO of Woolworths - the biggest retail failure in UK history, costing 27,000+ people their jobs in Woolworths, and countless 1000's other jobs with linked failures like Zavvi etc - now wants to set up a recruitment site for job seeking executives!! This is the CEO that took Woolworths to the edge of the cliff, only for them to fall spectacularly off it last year. (Just for the record - and any lawyers - he was asked to resign in june 2008, because he was doing such a poor job in his role as CEO)
Let me just get this right - Trevor Bish-Jones, the ex-CEO - who was a failure in Woolworths, is looking for support among the management community to use his new job board, Mypeoplebiz. For Woolworths to fail as badly as it did, demonstrates (in my opinion), poor vision, poor leadership and more importantly very poor recruitment of his senior management team! Now he wants to use this 'great' recruitment knowledge to help others!!!
Where is his recruitment credibility? Where is his recruitment track record? Does he really think that he can beat established job boards, just because he is who he is?'
My message to any executives looking for work is a simple one - stick to websites and networks that deliver results - make sure you are using LinkedIn for your networking; use a top exec recruitment site like Exec-Appointments or Executives in the Web - don't whatever you do, don't give credence to another of the UK's celebrated failures who thinks the recruitment industry is an easy sector to make money in!
