Succession Planning and Leadership

“The Predictive Index® gives you the comfort that you have selected the right person for the job…” Scott Baker, COO

National Nail Corporation is a building materials manufacturer and distributor. Founded in 1962, its primary customers are home centers, independent lumber dealers, building material distributors, and roofing wholesalers. National Nail has more than 200 employees, four major locations in the U.S.,and international business partnerships.

The Challenge:
While the company had been successful over the years, Chairman Tom Korhorn and President Roger Bruins were concerned with the company’s long term growth and their own desire to retire within five years. In an industry where things change rapidly, they decided that an executive succession plan and new leadership were needed.

The Process:
With the help of their PI® Consultant, Bruins and Korhorn began to plan for their own succession by looking for a CEO. After an intensive 18-month search, they found Scott Baker, whose PI® profile and experience as a former partner in a major international consulting firm made him an excellent choice to drive things forward in the present and set the company up for the years ahead.

With Baker on board, they initiated a formal planning process, assessing market opportunities and evaluating their human resource requirements. “PI® confirmed my concerns about our leadership team and assisted me in working with my direct reports. I have also found it to be an important tool to support my hiring needs,” Baker said.

As part of the succession plan, they began framing the new leadership team, charged with the company’s future growth. “There is great satisfaction in knowing that an individual has the right makeup to be successful. PI gives you comfort that you have selected the right person for the job,” said Baker. A Vice President of Finance and Director of Home Center Sales were the first added to the team. Each has appropriate work experience and behavioral traits, confirmed by PI®, that have made them highly successful in their respective roles. More recently, a Director of Operations was added.

The Results:
“I was a little skeptical of PI® at first,” Baker said. “In my previous employment we had used similar tools to assist in our recruiting and development efforts. These were used as tools, not to be the total answer. After taking the PI Management Workshop, I realized how valuable a tool PI can be. While it can’t be used in isolation from experience and competency, it confirms what I see in people. My PI® Consultant brings valuable advice on how other companies have addressed similar situations that I can draw on.”

As a result of succession planning with PI, National Nail continues to have a bright future with the beginnings of a leadership team in place and growing revenue.