Seduced by Success

Originally uploaded by Rob Bluey

I had the good fortune of eating dinner with Bob Herbold last night. The former COO of Microsoft and senior VP for marketing at Procter & Gamble was in town for Heritage’s all-staff meeting, where he delivered a lunchtime speech about his new book, “Seduced by Success.”

I highly recommend Herbold’s book, but as good as it is, sitting next to him and getting a firsthand taste of his experiences is unbeatable. At yesterday’s lunch, Herbold told stories about companies such as Kodak and IBM that became seduced by success and failed to adapt. Others like Apple took another road and found success adapting to change and empowering employees.

I’d like to think Heritage performs pretty well based on Herbold’s standards. (After all, he does sit on our board.) Even so, I heard from several people who picked up important tips; I personally plan to apply some immediately — keeping committees very small, reducing the number of meetings I attend, recruiting fresh talent to help Heritage keep pace, and challenging my employees not to grow too comfortable in their jobs.

Another thing I found interesting was Herbold’s answer to a question about his own professional development. When asked what he found most beneficial, Herbold said it was his ability to move from job to job and oversee new responsibilities. Not only did it keep him fresh, but it also provided a window into other aspects of the companies where he worked. At P&G, for instance, Herbold had a broad portfolio of jobs, beginning in computer science and taking him to market research and eventually the CIO before moving back to marketing. The same was true at Microsoft, where he was tapped by Bill Gates as the man who could fix all the operational “messes” at the company.

It’s interesting how I see my own career following a similar path, particularly in my last two jobs, where I was hired to do one thing and ended up taking on far different responsibilities. Of course, I can’t say I’m all that surprised. The same has been true of my father, who has spent a career playing the same kind of role.

Pick up Herbold’s book if you get a chance. I guarantee you’ll pick up some important tips about surviving success.