Read Case Studies
People who have many types of experiences can teach us how to use the knowledge we acquire through our studies – how to think, how to treat other people, and how to make decisions. There are many examples, and in this section we include some examples (mainly from the New York Times, but there are also many good examples in the Wall Street Journal and other sources).
Example Case Studies
New York Times, Business Section, “THE BOSS”
Andrew Prozes, Chief Executive, LexisNexis Group: “I was asked to be a manager for a large mutual fund project when I worked for a computer services company in Canada. I was around 25 at the time. My job was to convert the mutual funds’ punch card system to an automated system. At that age I thought it was all about the process, all about having meetings, checking off items, but it turned out to be a horrible disaster. When you go from a paper-based system, it’s an extremely complex conversion. You have to make sure everything in the paper system is properly transferred. But the conversion process wasn’t accurate, and the electronic system did not duplicate what the paper-based system had done. I didn’t realize part of what I had to do was ensure that adequate checks and balances were built into the system. I also didn’t get close enough to the action to totally understand what was going on. I suffered internally and I suffered at the company because I was moved from being a potential star to being a question mark. The lesson I took away was that it’s absolutely critical that when working on any project you develop relationships with the people so you can hear what it is that they’re really thinking. That means getting to know them. Get them sufficiently comfortable so you know what’s going on. I got a lot of help in completing that project. It took much longer than expected: instead of two months, it took two years. At that point, I just basically put my head down and worked my way through it. My boss had to step in and save the day. He was a wonderful individual with a big heart. I kept my job. I reclaimed myself.”
Stephanie DiMarco, Chief Executive, Advent Software: “After starting without two nickels to rub together, I don’t take anything for granted. I had a dirt-cheap education, I worked hard and I picked the right entry point in an industry. The company I started now has a billion-dollar market capitalization. Too often, people forget how lucky we are to live in a free and open society where these things can happen.”
Paul Zeven, Chief Executive, Philips Electronics North America: “I have had a lot of bosses in my career who really had an influence not only on my leadership style but also on my way of thinking and shaping my values. One was in the middle of my career at Philips. He was a people-oriented leader. I was reporting to him directly in a group of six people and I was his No. 2 guy. He showed me that if you manage people well that was half the battle. There was one project that was very important to us, but we all said we could not do it. Technically and physically, it was impossible. He wanted us to finish the project in a year’s time, but normally the throughput was two to three years. We thought he was absolutely out his mind. We told him so. He said ‘Tell me what resources you need. I will support you through it…..Look, guys, you are the best guys I have to get around the table and you can get it done.’ We started to think: If he believes in it and believes in us, why not believe in ourselves. He left us alone to do the project and that gave us great pride. He did not bully us or threaten us. He motivated us, facilitated us and opened doors. It was really hard work, working weekends. We pulled out all the stops. All the rules were discussable. We made it happen. We got the product on the table and it was approved in one year’s time. I never have forgotten that experience. He showed us that he trusted we could do it, and we did.”
Charlie MacCormack, President and Chief Executive, Save the Children, Westport, CT: [quoting Eduardo Mondlane, leader of the Mozambique Liberation Front, who was assassinated in 1969] “I was taking the seminar with 10 or 11 other students. He said to all of us, from what I remember: ‘You are in a tiny fortunate minority with the education you’re getting, the opportunities you have. You have the luck of the draw. You’re fortunate to have been born where you were born. If you were born in Mozambique there would be no education, no safety, no hope for the future. All of you are fortunate young people and you really ought to think about getting involved in these issues, issues of decolonization, development and international affairs. These are the most important issues of your life.’“
Dr. Paula Johnson, Executive director, Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital: “As a third-year medical student, I had to learn the language of medicine and understand the values and currency. For instance, in presenting cases before teams of other physicians, you have to communicate a certain way. There’s an expectation about how you summarize the facts and tell the story. It’s a learned skill. You can achieve great things only if you understand how the environment you are in operates.”
Peter C. Georgiopoulos, Chief Executive, General Maritime Corporation: “In America, you get the sense you can do anything you want.”
Brian Gallagher, Chief Executive and President, United Way of America: “One of the best things my father ever did was to get me a summer construction job when I was in college. I had it for three years. If you ever need motivation to stay in school, go to United States Steel, climb 150 feet into a dormant blast furnace and tie yourself to six other guys. Then disassemble that furnace. Or work in the propane fields at Standard Oil when lightning strikes, arcs onto one of the propane tanks and blows it up. After these assignments, I appreciated how hard some people work……I’ve been in this organization [The United Way] my entire career….I decided two things. First, I would always remember the reason I joined this organization, to help others….Second, I was never going to allow anyone else associated with this business to hurt us. Crises teach you to focus on mission, to communicate, and to be open and transparent.”
Enrique T. Salem, Group President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Symantec: “In April 2002, about two months after I got there, PC Magazine had a review of products that were able to fight spam. In effectiveness, we came in dead last……I recruited a new head of sales, Mike Connor, and a new head of engineering, Brad Kingsbury. Four months after the first rating, I found out that the magazine was going to do another review in the November issue. PC Magazine said they needed our software by Sept. 1. For the next weeks, it was lots of coffee and lots of pizza. By the time the issue came out, we had gone from last to first.”
Susan Sobbott, President, Open division, American Express: “Watching my dad, I learned the importance of not disappointing a customer. Several times I’d hear the phone ring in the middle of the night, then the front door opening and closing. Once he left to rescue a driver whose trailer was wedged under an overpass. He found him and let some air out of the tires. Another time, he drove to Vermont to help fix a truck that had broken down. Dad was also eternally optimistic. There was always some drama going on. An account would drop on him, or someone didn’t pay a bill, or an employee would walk out. But my father’s attitude was that he would get through it no matter what…….When I left my first management position, the sales support team gave me a bunch of red pens as a parting gift….I thought my way was the right way, but you learn more if you listen to others.”
New York Times Obituaries
P. B. MacCready, 81, Inventor, NYTimes Obituaries Friday August 31, 2007: “You can do all kinds of things if you just plunge ahead…It doesn’t mean you’re any good at them, but you can be good enough.”
New York Times Business Section
Edison, Sunday March 11, 2007, page 9: “Edison’s partial loss of hearing prevented him from listening to music in the same way as those with unimpaired hearing. A little item that appeared in a Schenectady newpaper in 1913 related the story that Edison supposedly told a friend about how he usually listened to recordings by placing one ear directly against the phonograph’s cabinet. But if he detected a sound too faint to hear in this fashion, Edison said, ‘I bite my teeth in the wood good and hard and then I get it good and strong.’ The story would be confirmed decades later in his daughter Madeleine’s recollections of growing up. One day she came into the sitting room in which someone was playing the piano and a guest, Maria Montessori, was in tears, watching Edison listen the only way that he could, teeth biting the piano.”
