Bill & Dave by Michael Malone

Among the numerous qualities of Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett described in Michael Malone’s book, humility is the one that resonates the most with me. I was most impressed in learning how humbly HP conducted its business under the leadership of its founders. Michael Malone’s analysis of the importance of Charlie Litton in polishing Packard’s view on the way to live a successful life was a delight to read (page 65). It made me re-think on how to define “success in life” and strengthened the resolve that it does not necessarily derive from material wealth. The founders’ spirit of enjoying their livelihoods and finding happiness in simplicity of lifestyle went a long way in enabling them to devise policies which translated into the long term success of HP.

Another important leadership characteristic that I discovered to be extremely important is to develop a sense of loyalty towards the company’s stakeholders. The relationship between HP and Ernie Schiller, the company’s first cabinet maker (page 83) was awe-inspiring. For me, this is a lesson of a company having its feet firmly on the ground and trying to collaborate with all its stakeholders and ensuring they move on the path of success in unison. One of the key factors in HP’s long-term success was that it attracted and retained the best talent in the industry. The founders viewed their employees as equals and felt responsible for them. For a leader it is very important to ensure that her company is living in harmony with its environment. And it seems it seems a pre-requisite for this is that a genuine feeling of loyalty should come from within the leader.

Bill & Dave is abundant in effective management insight. The examples of Fred Truman’s lab in Stanford to the immediate post-war steps taken by HP’s founders prove that it is always wise to surround yourself with the smartest talent. The manager should set a general direction but always take input from those below her in the company hierarchy. Once a future course is set, the manager needs to refrain from exercising absolute control should focus on empowering the workforce and entrusting the employees with the company’s specific path towards the goal. HP also teaches us that the victories and progress along the way should be celebrated with the employees. The HP picnics, handing-out of Christmas bonuses and coffee-breaks all of which involved direct contact of the CEOs with the entry-level employees in my opinion were excellent techniques of inspiring the employees to lead HP in an increasingly competitive industry.

I feel grateful about reading this book at this particular point in my life. I am about to embark upon a professional career and am choosing between various alternatives. From what I understood from this book, HP achieved greatness because it began with two people starting something that they enjoyed doing. Both Packard and Hewlitt had an interest in their profession. They did not build HP into a multi-billion dollar company because they enjoyed making money, they built it in spite of that. Enjoyment, passion and desire emanate from HP’s story. I understand from Mike Malone’s book, that there was a deeper purpose as well, which was to benefit society. The greatness of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, in my opinion, was in their modesty and humbleness. The world would be a much better place if business students like myself emulate people like Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard.