5 Reasons to be Proud of American Business
Labor Day has come and gone, but it left me with a feeling I haven't had in ages - pride in American business. Maybe it was the long weekend or the barbecues and libations, who knows? All I know is I feel rejuvenated.
Faithful readers of The Corner Office know I like to give some companies and CEOs a hard time, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't feel so strongly about capitalism, business, and America. So here are
5 Reasons to be Proud of American Business, with a special focus on some of those I've played rough with in the past:
Steve Jobs of Apple. He cofounded Apple, fought IBM, fought Microsoft, got fired, and came back. He started Next and Pixar and came back. He got pancreatic cancer and a new liver and came back. And if you saw him on that stage yesterday, gaunt as a rail in his black shirt, baggy jeans, and sneakers, you had to be inspired. Steve Jobs is truly the "all American Apple pie" of American business.
Howard Schultz of Starbucks. He gave us all "the Starbucks experience," and now he's desperately trying to rejuvenate an overgrown coffee empire that finds itself competing with everyone from McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts to Peet's and the local shop down the street. But hey, anyone who puts one of the most vaulted brands on the planet on freeze-dried, instant coffee has got guts; I'll give him that.
Andy Grove and Bill Gates of Wintel. I spent a good part of my career competing with these guys and saying vicious things about them in the media. But when America's technology industry was being pummeled in the 80s by the Japanese, and it looked like we were down for the count, Microsoft, Intel, and the personal computer brought us back from an almost certain KO. Andy Grove and Bill Gates are, without a doubt, two of the most brilliant and impressive competitors to ever run a company.
American Airlines. This may be an unpopular one, but that's sort of the point. I was so PO'd at the way they treated my wife once that that I boycotted their flights for years. But I came back. And you know what? In over 2 million air miles, I've never had a serious problem. Here's to AMR, parent company of the only major long-haul American airline that has never filed for bankruptcy.
America's entrepreneurs and investors. Silicon Valley may be the poster child, but it's really the entrepreneurial spirit, the willingness to take risks - to bet our careers, our integrity, and big bucks on ourselves and on each other - that truly sets American business apart from the rest of the world.
I can't tell you how fortunate I feel to have even been a small part of all that, and to share some of the lessons learned with all of you around the world. Happy belated Labor Day!