Editor’s Note: See here for a op-ed from Jeffrey Sonnenfeld discussing the weaknesses of Carly Fiorina’s leadership at Hewlett-Packard. Counterpoint: Fiorina’s HP Record is a Badge of Shame
I was a senior vice president at Hewlett-Packard during Carly Fiorina’s tenure as chairman and CEO. Working for Carly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She is a person of tremendous courage, character, capacity and conviction. Carly is the one of the brightest, most articulate, candid, well-versed and engaging leaders I have ever known. Period.
Those of us who were part of HP while Carly was CEO know firsthand the incredible work that was accomplished after the merger with Compaq because we were there to experience it. Unfortunately, people who have never worked with Carly, worked at HP, worked in the business industry in general, or who have their partisan blinders on have launched an assault on Carly’s successful tenure.
Their claims that Carly was not an effective and impactful CEO are just plain wrong. In politics, an ability to twist or change the facts is an everyday occurrence. But Carly and I, we come from the business world. And, unlike in politics, in the business world, facts matter.
Here are the facts. While CEO of HP, Carly fostered a work environment with emphasis on innovation, achievement and accountability. As a result of Carly’s leadership, revenues doubled to more than $80 billion, innovation tripled to 15 patents per day, the revenue growth rate more than quadrupled to 6.5 percent, and HP grew to become the 11th largest company in the country.
One of Carly’s first tasks was to eliminate the overly burdensome bureaucracy within HP by eliminating product group silos and consolidating business functions across the company. Her new streamlined organization helped turn a rapidly declining and seemingly irrelevant HP into a stronger company. Did Carly’s changes anger some HP executives and managers? Yes. But here is a newsflash: People who benefit from the status quo often fear change — even if that change benefits or saves the larger organization.
But that’s what leaders do — they challenge the status quo. They ask questions. They look for opportunities. Leaders tear down irrelevant and unproductive walls and bureaucracies. Leaders actually accomplish something tangible. And Carly Fiorina is a true leader.
Before Carly arrived at HP, the company was stagnant and struggling. It had become bloated, complacent and slow to adapt to the market. In short, HP needed to reform and it wasn’t going to be easy. The HP Board of Directors knew they needed a change agent — someone who could retool HP and keep it relevant and competitive. And they found their new leader in Carly Fiorina.
Real change, the kind that was needed to reinvigorate HP, requires a comprehensive understanding of the market and the economic conditions. It requires steady and crisp implementation and execution. It calls for a leader with humility and exceptional communication skills — a person who is capable of rallying the corporate core and extended partner community to support that strategic vision. Carly was that a leader.
But Carly wasn’t just a great leader during the good times. She also led HP during some of the company’s most tumultuous. After the dot com bubble went bust, like many other technology companies HP was forced to eliminate jobs. It very painful time for the technology sector. Companies in and related to Silicon Valley were desperately trying to right a sinking ship during an unprecedented recession. Carly tried everything she could to avoid layoffs, but in the end it was the only viable option to keep the company afloat. By making this tough leadership call, HP emerged healthier, more competitive and now has well in excess of 300,000 global employees.
As Carly would say, our nation is at a pivotal point. We need a leader who can eliminate bureaucracy in our government, reign in federal spending, make the tough decisions, and get America back in the leadership business once again. As someone who has known and worked closely with Carly Fiorina for years, I can tell you that she is the leader that we need. And a forewarning to the other candidates in the field: Underestimate Carly at your own peril.
