airs on PBS. From what I have seen so far, it showcases two CEOs and
interviews them individually in a talk show format and then brings them both
together towards the end of the show. The one I watched had Sony's CEO, Sir
Howard Stringer and Best Buy's CEO, Brad Anderson.
The link to the show is here: CEO Exchange -
http://www.pbs.org/wttw/ceoexchange/episodes/thisseason.html#507
It has the video for them individually but does not have the video for the
two of them together. You can still read the full transcript however.
I remember reading that Sony had hired its first non-Japanese CEO but had
not really paid much attention. This guy has a really great sense of humor
- talking about the Sony stores and the relationship with big retailers like
Best Buy and music business in general:
"So the relationship is not hostile anymore and the truth is, we can learn a
lot about, for example, the packaged goods business, the music and DVD
business is under stress. We make them and Brad sells them. And you all
steal them (laughter). I had to go there didn't I, didn't I? (laughter) So
the relationship is much more helpful than it is adversarial."
Brad Anderson was talking about his experience in going from a meek
salesperson to running the original store of what would become Best Buy.
Basically saying that you cannot tell what an employee's contribution is
going to be based on an initial impression. Every person has a contribution
to make, it is just a matter of figuring out what that contribution is and
finding a way to use it. It seems like that is the job of a good manager.
One tidbit from the show that I really liked was a comment Howard String
made on career paths today.
"But one of the things that is worth, I think remembering, is you ought to
always look like the job you are doing is the job you always wanted. And
you treat it that way. No matter how humble."
Sage advice in my opinion...
