If you’re a CEO, can the wrong head of HR cause you to lose your job? Absolutely. Ask the ex-CEO of Pfizer or the ex-CEO of Schwab, who both were fired by their boards in part for poor judgment regarding the head of HR. Astonishingly, it was the same woman, Mary McLeod. Called “Neutron Mary” at Pfizer, she had a reputation for excessive personal use of the Pfizer helicopter, tight control of relationships with the CEO at both companies, and harshness with her staff.