More than Just Lines on a Map: Best Practices for U.S Bike Routes
Book summary.docx
1. Book Summary
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance
When Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. took over the helm at computer giant IBM, many
business analysts believed the company’s glory days had long since passed.
Smaller firms could more rapidly adapt to the fast-changing world oftechnology,
and a company of IBM’s size simply could no longer compete. As an outsider
Gerstner was at first skeptical, but later became convinced that IBM could be
saved. He took on the CEO job and began the difficult task of turning Big Blue
around.
His numberone goal was to restore the companyto profitability.Beginning
by completely revising IBM’s basic business strategy, he personally
visited customers in the field to reassure them that IBM was here to stay.
Interestingly, Gerstner believed that the key to IBM’s turnaround would
not be “vision” but “execution.” This would require a strong and
experienced leadership team and the creation of a sense of urgency
among employees that would drive the company forward.
Gerstner understood that the corporate culture of a large organization is
hard to change. The tremendous growth of IBM was based on its past
successes, making it difficult to implement a radical, but necessary,
change in direction. To make the “elephant dance,” Gerstner had to
quickly re-focus IBMto concentrate onshort-term goals and intelligent use
of resources.
In the end, he observes, it all comes down to people. Good leadership,
sound management, and a winning attitude were the main ingredients of
IBM’s dramatic turnaround. After nine years, Gerstner retired in 2002,
successfully rescuing Big Blue from the brink of extinction.
Filled with wisdom and insight, this book is highly recommended to all
leaders and managers of large organizations.
Important Days