Marvin Ellison is on the way to transform a good company, Lowe's, into the sewer. He says into a "GREAT" company but his apparent skill as a motivational speaker...which is all he seems to be good at...is overshadowed by what may be his real inspiration for taking the Lowe's job.
Ellison was royally p-ss-d at being passed over for promotion from VP-stores or whatever at Home Depot. So now, given an opportunity at Lowe's, he ditches JCPenney, where either he really wasn't doing that well or, to be optimistic, he wasn't done yet. So he takes the Lowe's job, and what is his TRUE motivation? REVENGE on Home Depot, who didn't see fit to promote him, to what he ultimately wanted, the CEO job. He sold himself to the Board, who bought into his inspirational oratory, but already cracks are showing in Ellison's armor. When he first came to Lowe's, his message was that he was going to make it Number One. It was Number One this, and Number One that. We have not heard Number One in months. That slogan was downgraded to "make a good company into a great company." What's next? "We try harder because we're Number Two?" Can't use that, though. Already been done. Could get sued!
Revenge is a poor motive...
There is another reason why Ellison is at Lowe's and it has to do with the Board. The topic is sensitive and may offend some, so I won't say it now.
Yet...