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  • Apr15 2013

    Can J.C. Penney’s Ullman pull a Steve Jobs?

    Quentin Fottrell from the Wall Street Journal writes, “J.C. Penney tried to steal some of Apple’s magic when it poached Apple retail guru Ron Johnson to be its CEO. And the company seems to be trying again with Myron “Mike” Ullman, the retailer’s once and future CEO. Apple’s current dominance, after all, didn’t begin until Steve Jobs returned to the fold for a second tenure as the company’s leader. So can Ullman, who ran J.C. Penney  from 2004 to 2011, pull a Jobs?”

    Some returning CEOs carry on the policies of their successors, but investors often have more confidence in the original leader to execute those plans. Howard Schultz returned to Starbucks Corp.  in 2008 after serving for CEO from 1987 to 2000, and continued an aggressive expansion program that began in his absence. However, he also vowed to close underperforming locations and cut down on the bureaucracy, expanded into tea and premium juices and opened a flagship store in New Delhi. The shares have risen from $20 when Schultz returned to around $58 today. “Clear communication, shared values and unwavering direction made it work,” says Steve Langerud, a workplace consultant and director of professional opportunities at DePauw University

  • Apr09 2013

    Glass Ceiling Still Exists

    Is it easier for a woman to become a political leader than a business one?,” asks MarketWatch‘s Quentin Fottrell. “More than three decades after Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of Britain, the answer still appears to be yes.” (photo: Margaret Thatcher walking on the DePauw campus before her Ubben Lecture; April 8, 1992)

    The text notes, “Women currently hold 97, or 18%, of the 535 seats in Congress: 20 of the 100 seats in the Senate (an all-time high), and 77 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. By contrast, just 4% of women hold CEO positions in Fortune 1,000 companies.”

    The piece concludes, “And it should be noted that for all of women’s advances in politics, no woman even been nominated for a presidential run by one of the two major parties. Even at a state level, says Steve Langerud, a workplace consultant and director of professional opportunities at DePauw University, ‘we’re not going to see that equity between men and women for a long time.’ “

  • Apr09 2013

    Colleagues may steal your idea— and that’s ok!

    “Has a colleague ever pitched your idea as his own? It’s only natural to get angry,” notes U.S. News & World Report. Ritika Trikha writes, “don’t get too hung up on the incident. According to Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University, letting people take credit for your work is one of the best ways to succeed and advance in your career. (Full disclosure: Langerud is a glass-half-full type of person.)”The advice Langerud offers in the column includes, “Your value as a selfless team member sky rockets when you take one for the team.”

    Read Ritika’s article

  • Apr09 2013

    Multiple CEOs Can Create Strategic Advantage

    This week’s move by Samsung to name two more individuals to the post of chief executive officer — giving the company three CEOs — is making news on MarketWatch, which reports, “And experts say there’s good reason to be optimistic about such moves.”Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University, says, “I see co-CEOs as a viable and strategic advantage to both employees and shareholders.” Quentin Fottrell writes, “But (Langerud) says it’s ‘critical’ to develop a structure for implementing the company’s strategy, and to craft distinct agendas for each CEO.”

    The piece notes, “Research suggests shareholders tend to like joint CEOs — at least at first. In a study of over 100 public companies with co-CEOs published last year, the stock rose a cumulative average of 6% in the day before and after the announcement of a dual leadership. But the survey, by Stephen P. Ferris, a professor at the University of Missouri business school, found that only 45% of these joint company CEOs had complimentary educations and job responsibilities.”

    Read Quentin’s story.

  • Apr09 2013

    More Companies Banning Cell Phones During Meetings

    “As cardinals from all over the world gather to decide on the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, the use of cellphones is strictly forbidden,” reports MarketWatch today. “Call it the cardinal rule: The digital wall of silence surrounding the papal conclave may be catching on in the corporate world, as well.”

    Increasingly, companies are banning the use of smartphones and other devices during important meetings, writes Quentin Fottrell. “The bottom line, says Steve Langerud, a workplace consultant and director of professional opportunities at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., is that the word in the board room at many companies is now, ‘If you’re going to be present for meetings, leave your phone in your office.’ Obviously, going cold turkey on Facebook and Twitter — even during important staff or board meetings — isn’t easy for some. Employees rely on their phones much like a virtual security blanket, Langerud says, as well as using tablets and smartphones for work.”

    Read Quentin’s article