Xerox Anne Mulcahy
Behind the scenes of a great turnaround
In Dean's Innovative Leader Series presentation, Xerox Chairman and CEO Anne Mulcahy reveals leadership strategies that helped resuscitate the historic company As the chairman and CEO of Xerox, Anne Mulcahy was largely responsible for orchestrating what Money magazine called “the great turnaround story of the post-crash era.”
By keeping the company steadfastly focused on customers and employees, she was able to lead Xerox away from the brink of collapse to become one of the world's most profitable and innovative technology and service enterprises.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, as part of the Dean's Innovative Leader Series, Mulcahy spoke at the Wong Auditorium and revealed some of the many leadership strategies that helped resuscitate the historic company.
The art of listening
Mulcahy explained that the Xerox turnaround provided her with an abundance of leadership lessons, and at the top of the list was that of listening. “Good leaders listen,” she said.
And the new perspectives she gained by actively listening to customers, shareholders, and employees at all levels of the company allowed her to pinpoint specific hidden weaknesses in the organization.
“So rather than wasting a lot of time putting out fires,” she said, “we were actually focused on the source of the fuel leak, which really became critically important to fixing the real problems.”
Instincts
Mulcahy spoke of the importance of good management instincts. When organizations focus too intently on data and process, she explained, it can sometimes be a barrier to timely decision making.
In the 1990s, she said, Xerox had become a highly matrixed company, organized by product, geography, and segments. It all looked good on paper, but in reality, Mulcahy said, “it was a nightmare. You couldn't find anybody who had clear responsibility for anything.”
“Peeling it all back and creating clear accountability ... was a big part of cleaning the place up and putting some
In Dean's Innovative Leader Series presentation, Xerox Chairman and CEO Anne Mulcahy reveals leadership strategies that helped resuscitate the historic company As the chairman and CEO of Xerox, Anne Mulcahy was largely responsible for orchestrating what Money magazine called “the great turnaround story of the post-crash era.”
By keeping the company steadfastly focused on customers and employees, she was able to lead Xerox away from the brink of collapse to become one of the world's most profitable and innovative technology and service enterprises.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, as part of the Dean's Innovative Leader Series, Mulcahy spoke at the Wong Auditorium and revealed some of the many leadership strategies that helped resuscitate the historic company.
The art of listening
Mulcahy explained that the Xerox turnaround provided her with an abundance of leadership lessons, and at the top of the list was that of listening. “Good leaders listen,” she said.
And the new perspectives she gained by actively listening to customers, shareholders, and employees at all levels of the company allowed her to pinpoint specific hidden weaknesses in the organization.
“So rather than wasting a lot of time putting out fires,” she said, “we were actually focused on the source of the fuel leak, which really became critically important to fixing the real problems.”
Instincts
Mulcahy spoke of the importance of good management instincts. When organizations focus too intently on data and process, she explained, it can sometimes be a barrier to timely decision making.
In the 1990s, she said, Xerox had become a highly matrixed company, organized by product, geography, and segments. It all looked good on paper, but in reality, Mulcahy said, “it was a nightmare. You couldn't find anybody who had clear responsibility for anything.”
“Peeling it all back and creating clear accountability ... was a big part of cleaning the place up and putting some