Whose name is behind Google?
In the same breath that people mourn the loss of Apple's great leader, Steve Jobs, many are speculating as to the future, or demise, of his revolutionary company. Will Apple ever be as great? Will Jobs’ mortality overshadow Apple's mythical reach?
I question the foresight, or ego, behind building a company around one man. Jobs was a marketing phenomenon, but he didn’t see it as a problem that when he sneezed Apple’s shares dipped.
Gone are the days of the magician. When Jobs last walked on stage in his blue jeans and black turtleneck, we were putty in his hands. This week, when Jobs' successor, Tim Cook, walked onto the stage, he was putty in ours, molding himself to what consumers needed to keep up the cultish allure of the iPhone. Granted, Jobs didn't leave his legacy without a pipeline of iProducts to come. But, every decision Cook makes will be followed with a "What would Jobs have done….?"
The past has proven the downfall of empires built on iconic CEOs. Post-Bill Gates Microsoft has remained steady after Gates stepped down, but is struggling to keep up with the competition, namely the Mac. Disney, on the other hand, was never the same after the death (or cryogenic freezing) of its creative genius. And with both of those examples, if asked who succeeded them, well, I'd need to Google the answers.
Will Apple's story be a lesson to the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world whose popularity, or notoriety, is the momentum behind the products? Maybe its better to take a step behind the product, instead of in front?
To answer my own question, there is little doubt that Google will stand by itself, without co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Not enough effort is placed into CEOs preparing successors. There are several iconic CEOs that are doing fine after they left. Sam Walton leaving didn't destroy Walmart. McDonalds is still here after Ray Kroc. General Electric is legendary in how it grooms new CEOs.
ReplyDeleteGood point. If a CEO bases a company's success on his/her name, succession should be at the forefront. Apple's new CEO made his first misstep with the 4GS's launch, but it still sold out in record numbers. It'll be interesting to see what the visionary's vision was in leaving the house to Cook.
ReplyDeleteThere are two types of CEOs: those that founded the company and those that didn't. For each, the challenge is different.
ReplyDeleteFor the first, their impact is quite significant on the corporate culture. Questions of who will succeed them are very important because their vision and drive started it all. In this light, how will Apple fare now that Jobs is gone is very significant. As you pointed out, the same can be asked of Facebook after Zuckerberg and Google without Page and Brin. For this group, grooming their successors is critical. Their challenge is find someone as passionate as they were who can continue that long term vision.
For the second, unless they're both an industry icon and have spent a long time running the company, people don't really ask the same questions after they leave. For them, grooming their successor is not an issue because they, generally speaking, don't have a long standing stake in the company's future. These guys will probably stay for about 5yrs before moving onto something else. Their challenge is to take the existing culture and shake it up just enough to keep the profit margins healthy.