Shifting Standards: Lessons from Kroger's Leadership Shake-Up

The unexpected resignation of Kroger's CEO, Rodney McMullen, has sparked serious conversations around workplace professionalism and the expectations we place on leaders. 

In the episode, Scott Benedict explores not just what led to McMullen's departure, but the broader implications for businesses navigating the post-pandemic landscape. Have we, as a society, allowed our standards of conduct to slip in recent years? 

Scott reflects on the changes in professional standards that have emerged since the pandemic, and addresses the alarming trend of excuses and lower expectations that seem increasingly normalized in our work environment. 

Utilizing the tools of modern communication, why are we not striving for excellence? McMullen's case serves as a critical touchpoint for clarifying what professionalism should look like moving forward.

Scott challenges the status quo and ask the vital question: How do we want to represent ourselves and our businesses? 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to reclaim professionalism in a world that demands it now more than ever. 

Don't miss out on these critical insights, and let's collaborate toward accountability and excellence in our professional lives.

Chapters

• 7:09 Introduction and McMullen’s Resignation
• 43:29 The Broader Impact on Professional Standards
• 4:33:40 Encouraging Accountability and Professionalism

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hello everyone. I've been reading a number of articles about Rodney McMullin's sudden resignation as the CEO of Kroger, which was shocking to say the least. Kroger said its board was alerted to personal conduct issues by McMullen on February 21st and immediately hired independent counsel to conduct it, which was overseen by a special board committee. Mr McMullen's conduct is not related to the company's financial performance. The company said Its operations are reporting. It did not involve any other Kroger associates. Kroger told the SEC and it's interesting that this revelation comes during a pivotal time for Kroger, as the supermarket chain labors to reconnect with price-sensitive shoppers to navigate the transition to Omni Channel and, all together, regain its balance after it failed in recent merger efforts with Albertsons. Now my thoughts are not so much about the retailer itself but on the example of behavior that this episode represents to the business community at large and to those of us in retailing more specifically. A while back, I wrote an opinion piece for the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in which I talked about the fact that I perceived a noticeable drop in professionalism and professional standards of conduct in a post-pandemic world where that crisis seemed, in my opinion, to have lowered our collective standards of conduct in ways that we have not rebounded from. As the pandemic has waned, we've all returned to more traditional work behavior and interactions that were not always based on a Zoom call. Fortunately, this lack of professional standards of conduct has not always been as egregious as Mr McMullen's episode would appear. Even though we don't know exactly what he did to warrant the investigation or his resignation, the fact is that I continue to see conduct every day that suggests we live in a very different world than the one we did prior to the pandemic. That might be because my upbringing in the retail industry taught me that you were the owner of not only your personal reputation your personal brand, if you will but that of the company that you represent to others in your day-to-day business dealings. Everyday, professional standards like responding to emails, returning phone calls, delivering a project on time and on budget, are increasingly met, I believe, with shrugged shoulders and kind of all well-sized resignation that seem to say that's just the way it is.

Speaker 1: 3:05

What's interesting and, in my view, a bit frustrating, is that we live in an era with so many wonderful tools and technologies that make our professional lives better. We have ways of communicating, delivering results faster, of managing our time, of communicating updates to others and working with teams, not only across the country but around the world, that simply did not exist until the last decade. I've noticed, however, that sometimes we use these tools to set expectations lower and to explain away unprofessional behavior. Now, to be certain, our public figures are not offering much inspiration these days, where standards of professional conduct by elected officials, professional athletes and business leaders alike that once would be seen as career ending are now met with exasperation but no accountability.

Speaker 1: 4:05

I've seen professionals at firms I greatly admire and respect not live up to timelines that they set, prepare for meetings at times that they set, or prepare to host colleagues or new employees in a way that assures their success. I do, however, hear plenty of excuses about their shortfalls that indicate to me that our standards for professional conduct have fallen. Now it would be hard to ascribe any kind of simple solution to this time of unprofessionalism, but I've been thinking that we all control our own conduct and the conduct of the teams that we lead, in the conduct of ourselves, in ways that influence our colleagues by the example that we set. In short, you can't always change the world, but you can hold yourself and those around you to a standard of professionalism that we would all be proud of. That's what I've been thinking about. I'm Scott Benedict.