Joseph Galli was a client of Shields Meneley Partners advisor, Gail Meneley, after he was terminated from his role as chief executive officer at Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. There is an article about Joe and
their work together in the February 3, 2009 Wall Street Journal titled “A CEO Gets a Rare Second Act” which was written by Joann S. Lublin.
When Joe left Newell he thought that he was immediately ready for another
CEO position. Joann points out “the lessons that propelled Mr. Galli to
the top of the corporate world proved less useful in selling himself to a
new employer. Instead, he encountered a paradox known to many
out-of-work CEOs: Though they are driven like few others to succeed, once they fail, many don’t get a second chance to run a public company.”
This article discusses Joe’s story and Gail’s involvement in helping prepare him for another role leading a company. While a client of Shields Meneley Partners, Joe completed a thorough assessment of his
drivers, needs, competencies … what made him successful and unsuccessful. They identified what type of corporate culture would be a “best-fit” for him to achieve success again. Gail and Joe worked through
what they considered to be his undoing — poor relations with fellow Newell directors. He says Gail helped him recognize that “boards want to feel they’re part of the [decision-making] process.” Gail says Joe
typifies failed CEOs who “believed they had all the answers.” Joe became CEO of Techtronic in February 2008. I recommend that you read this most interesting article. (by Daniel J. DeWitt, PhD)