Have we all learned that sometimes the "Founder's Touch" is not what the doctor ordered? With apologies to Steve Jobs, it's rare that the founder of a company or original leader can recreate the magic that spawned a successful company in the first place. Dell reported disappointing results yesterday and it seems as if the world was surprised by this. Michael is just another in a long line of founders / original pioneer CEOs including Howard Schultz, Joe Gibbs, John Mack and Jerry Yang that tried and ultimately failed to deliver the same results they did the first time.
This should be an important lesson for corporate boards trying to revive their once-lusty brands, perhaps you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Market conditions, pricing power, industry stage, consumer awareness, all factor into the success of a company and CEO's often (but not always) benefit immensely from their effects in driving success.
The times they have a changed for ol' Mike down in Austin and he may or may not be able to pull this one out. I hope that he does for the sake of many at Dell but if not, they should've seen it coming.
This should be an important lesson for corporate boards trying to revive their once-lusty brands, perhaps you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Market conditions, pricing power, industry stage, consumer awareness, all factor into the success of a company and CEO's often (but not always) benefit immensely from their effects in driving success.
The times they have a changed for ol' Mike down in Austin and he may or may not be able to pull this one out. I hope that he does for the sake of many at Dell but if not, they should've seen it coming.
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