Business Wisdom of Andy Grove, Intel
from Mashable.com 22 March 16 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz
A Silicone Valley Icon. Known as one of the greatest American “immigrant” success stories to ever emerge from the ranks of Silicon Valley, Andy Grove, the former CEO and Chairman of Intel, died Mon 21st – at the age of 79.
His Legacy. But in his wake, Grove left behind a wealth of technology & business insight that will continue to inform & guide tech entrepreneurs and top tier executives alike for decades to come.
Steve Jobs Mentor. In fact, Grove was an early mentor to another tech giant, Steve Jobs. Starting in the ’70s, Jobs & Grove shared a unique relationship as Jobs slowly developed into a technology icon in his own right. And even during his final days, Jobs leaned on his old friend for support during his illness, as Grove had also fought and, eventually, overcome prostate cancer.
Grove’s personal story, such as his struggle to escape Nazi-occupied Europe to eventually become a thought leader in the U.S, is well documented. But in the fast moving business of technology, a reminder of some of the information gems & life lessons he left behind are appropriate. In 2001, he told Charlie Rose that he originally wanted to be a journalist. And while his career took a much different path, he nevertheless became a prolific speaker & author.
As an Author – thru books like Only the Paranoid Survive, Swimming Across & High Output Management, Grove left behind a treasure trove of hard-earned perspective on life & innovation. Here we recount just a few of Grove’s most powerful nuggets of wisdom.
1. A fundamental rule in technology says that whatever “can” be done “will” be done eventually.” (So if you come up with a good idea, work it passionately – to find out if it’s viable. Wiz4biz)
2. “The operating phrase of a Startup should be: “Let chaos reign !!! Not that chaos is good in general … But the old order won’t give way to the new without a phase of experimentation and chaos in between.”
3. “Steve Jobs is one of the founding genius of the personal computer industry – along with Bill Gates.”
4. “After each strategic inflection point, there are winners and there are losers. Whether a port won or lost clearly depended on how it responded to the ’10X’ force in technology that engulfed it.”
5. “Most companies don’t die because they are wrong; most die because they don’t commit themselves. They fritter away their valuable resources while attempting to make a decision. The greatest danger is in standing still.”
6. “When dealing with emerging trends, you may very well have to go against rational extrapolation of data and rely instead on anecdotal observations and your instincts.”
7. “Figuring out what to do is important. But doing it and doing it well is more important.”
8. “Constructively debating tough issues & getting somewhere is only possible when people can speak their minds without fear of punishment.” [This is what makes America Great & why everyone wants to come here.]
9. “In general, the faster the change in the know-how on which the business depends or the faster the change in customer preferences, the greater the divergence between knowledge and position power is likely to be.” On the management chain of command in business.
10. “The ability to recognise that the winds have shifted and to take appropriate action before you wreck your boat in crucial to the future of any startup.”
11. “Each person, whether he is an employee or self-employed, is like an individual business, and you are its CEO … It is your responsibility to protect your career from harm and to position yourself to benefit from changes in the operating environment.”
12. “How well we communicate is determined not by how well we say things, but how well we are understood.”
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