RE: Malcolm Haines resigns from IBM (Elvis) -- MIDRANGE-L

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
[mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Chuck Lewis
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 7:14 PM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: RE: Malcolm Haines resigns from IBM (Elvis)


Amen,

THANK you Janet !

Chuck

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
[mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of
jkrueger@andrewscg.com
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 3:44 PM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: RE: Malcolm Haines resigns from IBM (Elvis)


>> Anyone who has read _Saving Big Blue:  The Turnaround of the Century_ (or
something close...;-) by Doug somebody-or-other would probably disagree with
the image of Mr. Gerstner as a man with horns.  I've said it before...  I
still say it...

Sorry, some things I just can't pass on...

Check out employee discussions indexed on www.ibmemployee.com and you'll see
that many feel the cuts made in the past several years to both active
employee
benefits and retiree benefits indicate that Sir Lou has both horns and a
forked
tail...

One PR book does not a hero make!

Janet Krueger
in this case speaking only for myself and not on behalf of COMMON *or*
Andrews
Consulting Group

==================================================================

Janet, Chuck

If I'd wanted comments from the "peanut gallery" I'd have asked for
them...;-)


Seriously, quality comments are a rare commodity, and I learn from those
that are wrong almost as much as those that are correct...!

That may sound a little hypocritical...  because in this case, I tend to
agree with you both.  I scanned the site you mentioned and it shows clearly
that it is hard to make any categorical statements, one way or the other.


A couple points on your post, Janet, and then I digress.  This wasn't a PR
book.  In fact, the author states that it is completely unauthorized,
because IBM is one of the most tight-lipped corporations in America, about
their inner workings.

This book (although it doesn't state it clearly) was written primarily from
the information provided by one of Mr. Gerstner's top aides, Jeremy York,
CFO (IIRC).  I should say "former top aids", so if there was any axe to
grind, it wasn't necessarily ground in Mr. Gerstner's favor.  Interesting
story on the fact that Mr. Gerstner's chair in the board room is called "The
Throne".  Wish I could remember all the particulars.

One of the things I learned was how Mr. Gerstner severely penalized a
magazine, IIRC, because they wrote an article that delved into his personal
life and he thought that was inappropriate.  Mr. Gerstner definitely found
swift revenge on that magazine (don't recall which one).  But I am a very
private person myself (believe it or not) so I respect that, though maybe
would not agree with the way Mr. Gerstner handled it.  Not my place to say.

There would be a lot of benefit to an even-handed book about IBM and Mr.
Gerstner, but you're not likely to see anyone given enough access to write
it properly.

As it happens, I was studying how to go about writing Mr. Gerstner, last
September, regarding the reasons I was vehemently opposed to the iSeries
renaming.  While I was reading the book I mentioned, I was scanning the Net
for samples of correspondence to Mr. Gerstner.  I found the exchange between
Mr. Gerstner and the Hon. Senator Jeffords on the subject of IBM pension
changes.  IIRC there were Senate hearings on the subject.  I honestly don't
know even a fraction of the facts, let alone the opinions in this matter, so
I can't comment intelligently on that subject.



Now I digress.  At the beginning of May, I wrote a few notes on a
Constitution for the iSeries Nation.  Gave them to Mr. Haines, and I'd have
no idea what he thought of them.  It was a pretty crude write-up, to be
sure, with just a few good ideas at best.


One of those I thought was decent was from "Article 1" of this draft:


***Section. 1.  IBM will protect the interests of it's employees/associates,
shareholders, and partners, to the fullest extent that it can determine
them.***


At the time I wrote this, I didn't know the term IBM'rs, or I might have
changed that part... I don't know.  But the important part of this idea is
_the order_ the interests were listed.  It is no accident that I put IBM'rs
BEFORE shareholders.  This might seem pretty inflammatory, but if you have
no IBM'rs, the shareholders have no dividends.  So I placed them in that
order, on purpose.

That doesn't mean a thing, one way or the other, about each particular
issue, such as the Pension changes, the layoffs, and all the difficult
issues of that nature.  This line of the Draft does nothing to change
reality.  Just read Phil's post, and he makes some good points.  All this
line does is put the issues into perspective.  Now, after reading that book
(and IMHO) I firmly believe that Mr. Gerstner fully understands the process:
Customers give jobs to IBM'rs who give dividends to shareholders.  What the
book said Mr. Gerstner did, in a nutshell, was bring back the attitude
within IBM that the Customer comes first.  That idea still has not fully
taken hold within all of IBM, but then you have an army of people in IBM,
without benefit of court-martial and prison to enforce non-compliance.  Mr.
Gerstner has tried, and for the most part, succeeded in making the Customer
priority #1 at IBM.  Long ways to go yet, which is the purpose of the
iNation, IMHO.


BTW, the by far more inflammatory statement I put into that Draft was in
Section 2 that followed:

***Section. 2.  The Greater Community will protect both IBM's interests and
their own interests, to the fullest extent that it can determine them.***

The "Greater Community" being the iCitizens in the iSeries Nation.  That
further acknowledges that in a 50/50 partnership (which the iNation should
end up being) the Customers and the other iCitizens hold the bigger half.
Mr. Haines did not say this in exactly these words, but he implied it.  He
understood it to be a very tricky partnership.  Many people, even here on
this list of the most active activists, don't seem to get this idea as well
as Mr. Gerstner does, so it's hard for me to see him as having horns.


Now looking at these writings in retrospect, I believe I made one crucial
mistake.  The word "protect", in both Sections, should have been "balances".
There's a subtle, but huge, difference.


I'm going to quit putting "Importance High" on any posts.  The thing is that
I frequently cover the iNation topic, under a completely different subject
line.  Also, it implies that I think the iNation will solve all the worlds
problems, and should be the most important thing on everyone's agenda.
Well, I actually do think it will solve a good deal of the problems in the
iSeries Community, and beyond that even...  But it's not the most important
thing on my agenda (I actually do have a personal life) although that's what
I spend most of my time on these days.

I think I'm going to lay low, after another post or two.  Some people are
bound to get the idea that I think I can replace Mr. Haines.  I've stated
privately, and now publicly, that I can't...  And I have no intention of
trying.  I have his passion, but I don't have the will.  Mr. Haines
understood that he couldn't "make it happen" just by himself, and we
understand each other well on that point.

Thanks for the comments Janet and Chuck.  You've provided some thought
provoking points.  Hope to "hear" more.

jJt

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