Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Wal-Mart's (WMT) chief marketing executive Julie Roehm has been let go by the company after less than a year in the position. There are a number of unidentified sources that reveal some of the underlying reasons.

When you look at some of these reasons, coupled with a statement that Roehm sent via email to Advertising Age, you see that this was never a good fit for either party. It seems to be a part of the identity crisis that Wal-Mart continues to have.

First of all, Roehm in her statement said: "I was hired by Wal-Mart as a change agent a little less than a year ago." When you hear the phrase 'change agent' and then think of Wal-Mart, you've got to see that each party's interpretation of change was different. Obviously a huge lack of communication between Wal-Mart and Roehm. The only other possibility is that she went ahead with things without consulting the company, which puts the problem more on her. Something that's been implied by some of the sources.

As Steven Gundersen, CEO of executive-search firm Gundersen Partners says, "They do have a very distinctive culture; it's strong and deliberate." The implication is that this wasn't a good fit from the beginning. I agree.

A free-wheeling individual that doesn't really like to report to people is not the type of person to hire for a company that has a more conservative way of doing things.

On the other hand, Roehm should have known what she was getting into, and simply ignoring company policy during interactions with potential clients couldn't have been something she really thought she could get away with. But then again, evidently she did.

One such departure from company policy was the exchange of "gratuitous gifts," according to one source, that didn't sit well with a lot of the executives. That and the lack of communication between her and management was a recipe for failure.

The biggest thing to consider with both parties is that each one really didn't look into this as deeply as they should have.

Wal-Mart should have known what they were getting with Roehm, and Roehm with Wal-Mart. Both have track records that could be measured and pretty easily understood. It was really setting each other up for failure from the day of the hire.

We as managers, both from looking for a company to work for, and in a company looking for management material, need to keep our company mission always in front of us when looking for hires, and as hires, need to do the same thing to see if who we are will fit into the existing company culture. A good case study for us all to learn from.

With Wal-Mart, they continue to do these types of things as if they no longer know who they are and what they represent. They need to change that in a hurry.