Who are the best tech CEOs, and what can they teach enterprise leaders?
In the high-stakes Internet market, it's not just fun to answer those questions. It's essential. To stay current and competitive, tech CEOs -- and their customers' top executives -- must be on top of their game.
There is no lack of input on who the great tech CEOs are. But an executive's popularity with employees is only half the story. HP's Meg Whitman is highly rated by her employees, for instance, but her company is in trouble.
Likewise, a company can be a great place to work, even though the CEO's policies are supported by less than half the employee population. (Steve Ballmer, I'm looking at you.)
But what about companies that combine success with worker approval? Those are firms where it's clear the chief executives are doing something right as managers, and we've decided to find out who's in that category.
We've compiled the following list, in alphabetical order by company name, from various sources, including the company's financial information and employee approval ratings posted by the online recruiting site Glassdoor. We've also highlighted a key trait exhibited by each of these Internet leaders. (Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.)
Tim Cook, Apple Inc. Employee approval rating: 95 percent Company share price at press time: $666.84 Key attribute: Listening and responding. He's only been CEO of the world's biggest technology corporation for a year, but during that time, Tim Cook has achieved the nearly impossible -- replacing the corporate icon Steve Jobs while making his own mark. Cook has done this by paying attention to his employees, customers, and partners in ways Jobs did not. By adding employee benefits, attempting to address contractor concerns in China, and taking investors' issues to heart, Cook has achieved credible leadership in a challenging time.
Cook has done a good job, indeed. What I think no one has thought of is the lack of a new product. New versions and improvements are easier than developing and introducing a new product (iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc...).
If Cook gets pass that with flying colors, I'll be a true believer.
It's going to be interesting to watch Microsoft in the next few years. They've got the best product lineup in the company's history, but also the biggest problems and toughest competitors.
Yes, but sometimes approval ratings are up even when the company does poorly. Meg Whitman at HP is an example. She has won the popularity contest, but the company struggles. That said, her ability to provide positive leadership can't hurt at all. It may turn out to be a saving grace.
Marc Benioff has a 100% employee approval rating? Now that is beyond impressive! It is not very surprising to see that the head honchos of the top five tech companies have managed to achieve such high ratings. They all have different leadership styles, but each works best with the people they're leading.
On a side note, I hope Mark Zuckerberg does something about those plummeting Facebook stocks. I know a lot of people who are not as impressed with how things are going with their shares.
No worries, B. The site doesn't really lay this out. I found that the more you click around, however, the more choices surface. The resulting information isn't always what you'd expect, though. There are missing pieces.
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