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October 29, 2003
What's Carly Up To?
Look at this link and tell me what Carly Fiorina is up to. I have my theories, but would really like to know what you think.
Some of the questions that come to my mind are:
1. Is she still running a "technology" company?
2. Will women leaders in technology take tech places men would never go?
3. Does gender really matter when it comes to being a CEO?
4. Does a woman see technology as a way to solve problems in the world that men don't even necessarily see as problems?
5. Do some engineers design technology to impress other engineers with how smart they are, but are essentially solving non-problems?
6. Are these "leading" questions which demonstrate my bias?
Posted by Halley Suitt at 03:30 PM in People | Permalink
Comments
>Will women leaders in technology take tech places men would never go?
Nah, even men will buy has-been companies with horrid customer support and then prentend that everything is alright even as the buying company loses its hard-won customer satisfaction ratings.
Posted by: Paul Hoffman at Oct 29, 2003 3:50:14 PM
ok, well I'm actually answering a question from Halley's blog about Carly:
> Is a CEO who looks so good an asset or a liability?
I have always thought that the job of the CEO was to enhance the image and value of the company more than coming up with the day to day brainstorms. Yes, they make the big decisions and yes they have direct input on the direction of the company, but the other C-class people below them bring the choices and ideas for those decisions up through the ranks to the CEO. Then the CEO makes the call based on her/his own thoughts and feelings as well as the input from their senior staff.
So, I think that a good looking CEO is definitely an asset when it comes to improving company image. Also, there's nothing wrong with "she's smart AND looks like that?" making the rounds both internally and externally.
As far as "what is she up to?" I think she is trying to reconnect with a public (read: shareholders) that are not feeling very involved or empowered (much as I hate that word as it is used today) in what has and is happening with the new HP. How successful this will be depends on how many high-level buyers of HP's core products really care about this aspect of the business.
It is very similar in my opinion to what Qwest is doing in my neck of the woods (Denver, their headquarters) to try and convince us locals that they are not the bloodsucking worthless scum they were a couple years ago under Joe Nacchio's "leadership". And that actually seems to be working.
Posted by: Tom Walker at Oct 29, 2003 6:08:25 PM
> 6. Are these "leading" questions which demonstrate my bias?
Perhaps a little - there's few women in technology so it must be our [men's] fault?.
In reference to another question: there seems to be this popular stereotype that programmers and engineers are totally out of touch with everyday "non-techie" and design things that solve problems that dont really exist.
Obviously we "techies" have no creative energies or aesthetic sense. We spend all of our time engaging in machismo-driven campaigns of one upmanship.
I hope you are happy in stereotypical outlook...
Posted by: Symbiat at Oct 29, 2003 9:28:29 PM
I'll answer the question from Halley's blog too.
> Is a CEO who looks so good an asset or a liability?
First, this question would not be asked if the CEO was a male. If the CEO is male it is obviously an asset to be good looking.
For a woman, it is the same thing, and I refuse to accept that I have to choose whether I look my best or whether I'm taken seriously. Yes, I have had my shares of projects where I was evaluated and dismissed as "she's young AND she's female", but all the greater the satisfaction to gain the respect. It would be good to be able to skip that respect-earning step, but that is an illusion, I think in one way or the other everybody (male or female) has to earn their respect.
As for Carly, if anybody looks at her and dismisses her for being too good-looking to be taken seriously, that is a mistake they will regret. But I really don't think it is that way for her anymore. I think she is respected for what she stands for.
Posted by: helga at Oct 30, 2003 4:34:04 AM
yes
hopefully
yes
who knows
of course!
duh
Posted by: Robert Larson at Oct 31, 2003 7:13:36 PM
