Success Mantra

 “Success Mantra”

IBM is one of the greatest sales and marketing organizations ever assembled. Established over seventy years ago, it now employs 400,000 people and generates $50 billion a year in revenue. How does IBM do it? That’s what even the most successful companies want to know. Now Buck Rodgers, the man who has personified ‘The IBM way’, describes   the reasons behind its extraordinary achievements. Some abstracts-

The only sacred cow in an organisation is its principles. I don’t know how many companies have actually had a code of behavior articulated for them, but that’s what Thomas J. Watson, Sr, did for IBM when he founded it in 1914. Like any ambitious entrepreneur, he wanted his company to be financially successful, but he also wanted it to reflect some of his personal values. These values, which he put down on paper, became the foundation for his new company, and anyone who worked for him thereafter knew exactly what Tom’s, company was all about. They are:

1. The individual must be respected.
2. The customer must be given the best possible service.
3. Excellence and superior performance must be pursued.

 These commitments, which remain at the heart of the company’s operation, are so revered and encompassing that every action and policy is directly influenced by them. I think that anyone who studies the development of IBM will agree that Watson’s philosophy has more to do with the company’s success than do its technological innovations, marketing skills or financial resources. However, I don’t think any company can become great without them. Principles, though, can quickly become empty slogans. They’re like muscles that turn soft and weak if they’re not exercised regularly.

1. The individual must be respected-Tom, put it, ‘by the simple belief that if we respected our people and helped them to respect themselves, the company would certainly profit.’ He understood that people, not money or things, are a company’s greatest asset. Productive people need challenging assignments. It’s vital for them to go home at night feeling that they did something worthwhile. And when they enjoy their work and know the company cares about them, they want to contribute to its growth.

IBM’s practice is to promote people from within. In all my years with the company, I recall only three executives-all in highly specialised fields- who were brought in from the outside. Everyone knows that if he works hard and aspires to a higher position, he will have an opportunity to advance. It’s frustrating and demoralising for an ambitious person to work his tail off, striving for a certain job, only to have someone from the outside come in and get it. All in all, it’s a very democratic environment, where everyone is treated with the same respect. Management treats everyone who works at IBM with respect and, in turn, expects everyone to treat customer, suppliers and even the competition the same way.

2. The customer must be given the best possible service (Customer-oriented company)-To let the customer know how important he is, IBM tries to respond to, if not resolve, any complaint within twenty-four hours of its receipt. When a customer requests a service call, the response is even quicker-frequently within the hour. Similarly, IBM has introduced more efficient ways of providing service to its customers. IBM specialists are available via toll-free numbers to solve service and software problems over the phone.

3. Excellence and superior performance must be pursued- the pursuit of all tasks with the idea that they can be accomplished in a superior fashion. Excellence begins with the recruiting program. At IBM, a highly competitive environment creates an atmosphere that nurtures excellence. The insistence on peak performance sets a rigid pace. People belief in to think that anything can be achieved- that anything is possible. That attitude generates excitement. You feel it in the air. When an organization demands and gets excellence from its people, the excitement eventually becomes contagious. Its customers, too, become optimistic and enthusiastic, and think; ‘This is the kind of organization I want to do business with.’