Hewlett Packard goes German

Hewlett Packard was a leading printer developer and producer in the 1980's. Before that, the company had made itself well known with the marketing of high-tech products. It was even the first in introducing a mass produced computer: the 9100A. After different mergers and acquisitions and a troublesome history with appointed CEO's, HP has appointed Mr. Léo Apotheker as the new top executive. Mr. Apotheker originates from SAP and has been with them for over 20 years.

The interesting part about this, is that Mr. Apotheker is not from the US. But this is not a strange choice at all! The German economy is picking up very rapidly at this moment and is showing one of the highest growth rates in Europe. Will he succeed? I think so. From our experience with German companies we have gotten a strong impression that managers have a strong sense of urgency in being the best in what they do. And this combined with a humble behaviour.
This reminds me of the book "Good to Great". Written by James C. Collins.

The Senseo success

When Philips Electronics together with Sara Lee launched the Senseo coffee pad machine in 2001 it attracted attention because of its sleek and modern design. In the course of years it became a success. Nowadays most homes have a Senseo machine or a copy which uses coffee pads like the Senseo. The "pad" system has been copied by many other manufacturers and the same has happened with the pads. What is also noted are the new concepts which flood the market at this moment. Like Nespresso. This concept is becoming a serious threat for Senseo. And that is not only because of George Clooney. The commercial machine behind it is doing a good job.

There is also another observed phenomena. The quieter it gets around Senseo, the more I'm confronted with the following: interim managers who boast around that they were the founder of the success of the Senseo machine. I've counted about sixteen up to now. One after the other these managers tell their future clients or employers with pride that they were the engine behind the Senseo success. And the worst part is, they are believed! It's a trick used over and over for a couple of reasons: the past lies far behind us and nobody is going to investigate what really happened in those days. And the interim managers know that. And by the time he has made his money and disappeared he's forgotten. And the fact that he's forgotten indicates that he had little impact. If there is any damage this will only be discovered after some time.

So why this posting? To advert managers to be cautious of this phenomena. Look when interviewing candidates for concrete facts and check past successes. Also if possible assess commercial candidates their commercial skills. It might save you a lot of money and cleaning up afterwards.

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Well, this is my first posting and I'm figuring out how it works. The start was quite easy. Now the rest.