HP‘s CEO Mark Hurd is making a difference at the company. The turnaround since his arrival has been large and successful. I’m often asked what a leader should do when their company is in need of change. As BusinessWeek recently reported, you should do what Hurd is doing if you want to turn around a failing Success Formula.
Many leaders have been convinced that their role was to establish a vision for the companay. Or setting strategy and mission. Yes, these are roles of senior leaders. But, more than that, leaders have to be Disrupters. Nothing will change unless the leaders step out and actively Disrupt the old Success Formula.
As reported, Mr. Hurd has been going all over HP engaging directors and managers in reviews. This has some detractors accusing him of being "nuts and bolts" and "pragmatic" or without a vision for the future. A better view is that Mr. Hurd is helping his company recognize its Challenges and Disrupt the Lock-ins so the managers can define new solutions. In a nutshell, he’s doing exactly what he needs to do to change the behavior, and results, of HP.
Some of our greatest leaders are great disrupters. Jack Welch, sometimes called "Neutron Jack," was a great disrupter who helped keep GE in front of competitors for nearly 2 decades. John Chambers, of Cisco, is also a great disrupter as he constantly brings in new technologies and products which obsolete what already exists. To keep you business ahead of competitors, it’s best that you become the Disruptor – and not wait to fall behind.
