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Former Medtronic CEO Bill George on the future of Apple under CEO Tim Cook and the challenges facing H-P without a clear strategy.
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And to be interest -- Well apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone five tomorrow shares of the stock.
Are often up ahead of the Big Apple announcement but today it was not the case could that have anything to do with the fact that it's Tim Cook making the announcement is that -- Steve Jobs.
-- George is a professor of management practice at harbor and the former CEO of Medtronic so He knows.
Were -- He speaks mr.
George good to see you thanks for coming in appreciate it.
Thank you -- so -- Apple's new leader Tim Cook is going to be unveiling the yeah -- -- five a lot of people are looking forward to it but will look product.
Sort of be overshadowed.
By the new leader Tim Cook.
Well I think Tim is carrying -- where Steve Jobs left off he's actually had a good tryout period and here's a board that failed back in the 1980s when they fired Steve Jobs.
Had five unsuccessful CEOs brought jobs back in the company took a while to take off but now it as a strategy good as its team together as a great team sits him as a team around their man I'm sure those product plans have been well and place.
Prolong that and they know what business they're in.
-- -- -- the New York Stock Exchange has a it just says something important great to have you on the show especially talking about something that is really been.
Eclipsed by.
Star CEOs say for example we were bringing up Yahoo! and Carol Bartz -- layoff talk to -- Hewlett-Packard.
When in essence you're also saying that boards with bad behavior can really hurt the leadership of the CEO couldn't talk a little bit about that because.
You know somebody CEOs get of this generated some for good reason others not so fair.
Well that the board's job is to ensure you have the right leader and they need to develop those some -- -- BHP story goes all the way back to.
Lou -- and why they couldn't find internal successor from a 200000 employees they're brining -- that didn't work out they brought in March that didn't work out that brought in lay out that didn't work out.
Now they -- outside for a fourth time meg -- equality.
-- -- -- -- But this that the support don't know what this is there and it's kind of like Kodak they had to go outside for George Fisher that.
-- -- -- and they want to put Tony and and frankly you know they're just destroying value they don't have a consistent strategy consistent leadership they don't have a culture.
That's true to its roots.
And those companies that don't do that are in deep trouble on I blame the boards for doing that well do they have a Corbett does HP have a core business and him.
I suppose it's predators I don't know they say they're going into software like you can't just jump in -- software.
How long has been Microsoft and -- belting -- IBM has done nothing but for ten years and they have their software suite where they needed for big customers.
And Apple's software works beautifully for them so I think it does that somebody could just jump and you need to be true to your roots and -- abandon their roots of David bill and just like Kodak vanity it's true it's but it doesn't know -- -- thinks it's and a predator business I don't I don't understand these boards.
Talk about your your ex.
-- managing aboard an and being a leader in the qualities that.
Not just to -- the company but some manager board let me just not take a voluminous amount of your energy and is that truly necessary.
Well that you I try to work with the board on strategy.
And -- leadership development -- giving them foreign about the events of the company the boards am I now.
ExxonMobil Goldman Sachs before that Novartis there's a tremendous amount of folks -- leadership development who are the people coming along.
-- we get visibility the CEO may -- of the executive committee but typically -- successors are gonna come from below that level.
If we don't have an understanding who these people large see him coming along if we don't go off site and spent three days a year -- -- -- strategy.
We're not gonna do -- our job as a board and that's so we -- we did this and they met John it was studies out cites a decade ago and there are two decades ago.
And they really helped us be clear about.
The business we're in and how we can expand and sustain the growth they have the leadership team that's as a person at the top but at the team at all levels they -- do that.
-- talking about the ward and core business.
How does Yahoo! fit into all this discussion.
Well another disaster out and I say that they don't know their business they turned out of Microsoft.
-- and I think the stock is less than a third of what it was and they turned out Microsoft.
And Carol Bartz was -- not the leader for that company.
And again you can't choose a leader by looking for -- rock -- CEO if you don't know what business you're in.
And you should development person -- them look Tim Cook is not a Steve Jobs don't try to make him it a lot but he's going to be a great leader for apple and He can carry on the legacy is Steve Jobs.
Just like -- piece -- the carry on the legacy of Dave Packard Bill Hewlett.
And I think all corporation should do just that we have Medtronic try to -- and the legacy of responder robot can it be true to that and if we didn't.
We are in trouble.
You know I look at a company like Intel who manages to bring along great leaders each and every time but let's talk about.
The qualities of a great leader who in history of whether it's a corporate CEO or just a leader in general.
Do you feel that it's -- anybody could -- feeling good times but who has been a wonderful leader during difficult times.
Well I think I want the best leaders in the world today -- Sam promise Otto IBM.
But it also -- Alan Mulally now He did come from the outside to support culture was broken well Molly has taken forward.
And proven -- we Americans that we could beat competitive.
In manufacturing small cars manufacturing in the United States works and you gotta give Mulally credit but you know what he's a man of the people.
Is not an elitist he's done there with the people all the time he's involved with the designs.
He's involved with the -- production lines and that's what you have to do.
And so I give -- promise -- on the lolly credit as great leaders.
That are really bringing their companies back.
To true greatness and by the way they will sustain that for the next decade they'll be ups and downs but they will sustain our strategy.
Because they know where they're going and you know I they are doing a lot of great things -- both company.
Bill George former CEO of Medtronic and I assume that they will never spin off the pace maker they're going to stick with that.
-- -- -- -- are better about that better not a lot and I here for bill George bill thank you very much thanks --
