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Sample Super-Talent™ Profiles |
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Idea Focus
Carly Fiorina is a person who focuses
on the big picture. She saw the merger between
HP and Compaq as an opportunity to join two
companies with complementary markets. At GE
Jack Welch was primarily concerned with day
to day operations and developing new products.
Concern with Numbers
One reason Reg Jones at GE picked Jack Welch
as his successor was because Jack, like Reg,
focused on the numbers. Carly Fiorina’s
lack of concern with the numbers led the HP
Board to suggest that she hire a Chief Financial
Officer.
Influencer
Carly Fiorina has a talent for meeting people
and inspiring their confidence. When she first
arrived at HP she quickly won over the staff
and engineers. They believed that she would
again make HP great. Jack Welch uses straightforward
persuasion. He presents his position and then
tries to convince people to adopt it based
on the facts.
Risk Assesser
Jack Welch assesses both the risks and benefits
associated with decisions whereas Carly Fiorina
is a true salesperson. She focuses on the
benefits and minimizes risks. When asked by
Jack Welch during an interview about possible
down-sides of the Compaq deal, she avoided
the question and returned to stressing the
new markets it would create for HP.
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Relationship
Builder
At GE Jack Welch formed close relationships
with the men who worked for him. They drank
beer and played golf together. He considered
many to be close friends.
Focus on Efficiency
As soon as Jack Welch became CEO he started
looking at ways to make GE more efficient
and agile by reducing management levels.
Public Speaker
Jack Welch has had a stutter since he was
a small child which has always made public
speaking difficult for him.
Empathy
At GE Jack Welch had little patience for people
who didn’t deliver. He pushed people
hard and gained a reputation for at times
being abusive.
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Networker
Carly Fiorina is a brilliant networker. She
is good at meeting people and making a positive
initial impression.
Analytical Thinker
Carly Fiorina's strength lies in selling ideas.
She is not good at breaking ideas down and
looking at their pluses and minuses.
Charisma
Carly Fiorina is known for her charisma. She
has a magnetic personality and is an electric
speaker.
Relationship Builder
Carly Fiorina's strength lies in forming short-term
relationships that are created by networking
rather than long-term relationships that are
built over time.
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The
analyses on this page are based on the material in Jack Welch's
autobiography, Jack:
Straight from the Gut, the book Backfire:
Carly Fiorina's High-Stakes Battle for the Soul of Hewlett-Packard
by
Peter Burrows, and published interviews with Carly Fiorina.
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