Greener Grasses. Real or Plastic?

Hey, thinking about applying for a leadership job with another large corporation? Make sure to do a "barometer read" on the company's culture. Try this approach when interviewing for the job - ask the interviewer for specific reasons why the last ten senior executives were released from their positions or the company.

The answers may give you a quick read on how well the corporation values its leaders, and values change:

- if they were released because they were incompetent, leadership recognizes its mistakes and is not afraid to admit them;

- if they were released simply because they challenged the status quo, the corporation is set in its ways and is probably adverse to change;

- if they were released with big severance packages, without clear explanation of the reasons why, it sounds like they would rather avoid answering any questions;

- if the interviewer does indeed provide you with the answers to your questions, it may be a sign that the human relations department is not aligned with senior executives, and will probably be dealt with at a later time;

While this may not be too scientific, it lets you assess some physical evidence of the attitudes, values and norms of its leaders. Think long and hard if you want to become a statistic in one of these corporations.
Caveat emptor.