This is a very personal blog about the wonderful training and inspiration I received as an IBM employee in the 1970’s. I am grateful for the fine people I worked with and the exceptional leadership they offered.
If you have been in the IT community for any period of time, you may remember past IBM Chairman T. J. Watson, Jr’s Basic Beliefs:
- Respect for the individual
- Best possible customer service
- Excellence in everything we do
Straightforward, yet powerfully inspiring principles. When I joined IBM in 1973 I was on fire with these 3 core values.
Decades later after my IBM career, I am still inspired by these ideals.
For me, these 3 phrases did more than guide my daily work. I have also found them useful for any team I have worked with – both in and outside of IBM.
This leads me to another example of IBM inspiration – Wild Ducks.
The moral is drawn from a story by the Danish philosopher, Soren Keikegaard who told of a man who fed the wild ducks flying south in great flocks each fall. After a while some ducks no longer bothered to fly south. Instead, they wintered in Denmark on what he fed them. In time, they flew less and less. After three or four years they grew so fat and lazy they found it difficult to fly at all. Keikegaard drew this point: you can make wild ducks tame, but you can never make tame ducks wild again. One might also add that the duck who is tamed will never go anywhere any more.
As T. J. Watson, Jr. explained, the wild ducks are the creative ones. They’re the restless explorers who are always looking for new angles on a big problem. They are the innovators. He noted: “We are convinced that any business needs its wild ducks. And at IBM we try not to tame them.”
Here’s the point. Celebrate your individuality. Affirm your non-standard point of view. Share your unconventional ideas and creativity. This is the source of innovation – large and small – they can make the world a better place.
If you are a Wild Duck, raise your hand by “Liking” it
