Carol B. Tom, the Home Depot CFO Her job title at Home Depot Inc. is chief financial officer (CFO), but Carol B. Tom has unusually broad responsi- bilities for someone in that position. She is also execu- tive vice president of corporate services, and provides leadership to the company in the areas of real estate, store construction, financial services, strategic business development, and growth initiatives. Her areas of respon- sibility have been referred to as the central nervous sys- tem of the company. Prior to joining The Home Depot one of the world's largest retailersshe was vice presi- dent and treasurer of Riverwood International Corpora- tion. Tom is also a member of the UPS board, and chair of the board of the Federal Reserve Board of Atlanta. Tom is widely recognized for her ability to get along with people inside and outside Home Depot. Yet she admits to having worked hard to hone her interpersonal skills. She says that she has never done anything to derail her career but that she has made a few mis- takes. Being a passionate person, she has had to learn to channel that passion in ways that rally the troops. Tom says, "I've also learned that it isn't about me; it is about everyone else. Putting people first is absolutely the right thing to do. I didn't always do that, but I do now. For more than eleven years, I've never lost anyone on my team that I didn't want to lose. I'm proud of that." Tom also explains that earlier in her career she was highly focused on the deal instead of people. One time she conducted a performance review with one of her employees over the phone. "The next day she quit, and who could blame her?" said Tom. She also said that she could never repeat the mistake, and how she practices servant leadership, and always puts people first. In her seventeen years with Home Depot, she is the only senior executive to work for all four of its CEOs. One CEO in particular, Robert Nardelli, had a difficult time in terms of popularity with the troops, and a substantial decline in customer satisfaction. However, during Nardelli's six-year reign, Tom was promoted from treasurer to CFO, and her responsibilities expanded to include store operations and customer service. Her colleagues say she has advanced by combining high-level intelligence with a passion to learn the busi- ness from the hammers and nails on up, including how to mix paint for a customer. Tom tours at least one store a week, talking to customers and asking ques- tions of store associates. Tom is proud of her collec- tion of ninety orange aprons (The Home Depot trademark) that employees decorated for her as a gift during store visits. Her favorite apron is one blinged out with sequinsthe only such jewelry-decorated apron in the company. Tom was born in a log cabin hospital in Jackson, Wyoming. She holds a bachelor's degree in communica- tion from the University of Wyoming, and an MBA in finance from the University of Denver. QUESTIONS 1. What evidence do you find in this story to suggest that Carol Tom has good political skills? 2. What does having worked for four different CEOs without being replaced suggest about the effective- ness of Tom's political skills? 3. Which types of power does Tom appear to possess