If your name is on the company letterhead, take a long term sabbatical

by Art Gillis

Sorry founders, it's not your fault, but I think it was destined to be. The man and the company are two different things. Today I read a press release about Perot Systems. I read several executive names, not one of which was Perot. H. Ross Perot probably deserves credit as not only the founder of EDS and Perot Systems, but the "founder" of outsourcing. Even IBM didn't know that was a business. Now it represents over 50% of what IBM does. And even Ross's son didn't do much good as the CEO of Perot Systems. Little Ross owns half of the mud in Fort Worth and has earned his own credits as a successful real estate developer. Why should we think he should step into papa's shoes and run an IT company? Here's further proof that the boss whose name is the same as the corporate name doesn't work. It worked for Henry way back in the 1900s, but is Bill doing anything to make The Ford Motor Company a success? Ask all the workers he just laid off. Oh, I'll concede to a few exceptions. Mr. Perdue could sell chickens because he looked like one. And Emeril's restaurants and TV show wouldn't pull the crowds in if he called them Home Cookin' Cafe. But I'll tell you this much. If a presidential candidate steps into the arena in 2008, and his name is Joe America, I ain't votin' for him.