Conference 7.286::digital

Head VP of PCBU.

In some ways, I'm sorta glad VPs stay away from ZKO (or at least don't hold
pep rallies).

				Steve

    Oh, must have deleted the announcement e-mail within the blink of an
    eye. Worth remembering this name? In the past these guys went by in a
    micro-fortnight.
    
    Guenther

    Well, Claflin's been around for a year or two now - not exactly a
    bungee-VP (a Dilbert term).
    
    				Steve

    Well, I surely expected a wealth of more replies, but no, he does not
    appear to be a bungee-VP, he actually appears to be, "A Keeper". If I
    understand correctly, he has been with us a little over a year now and
    he was lifted from IBM.
    rtt

What did he say that was so uplifting?


fwiw: when he joined it made news in Business Week -
"DEC's Man from Big Blue", 11/13/1995.  If I recall correctly he was
behind or at least very involved in the IBM Thinkpad.

He's also on the 1-3-9 Video.  I find the new format interesting, where
they line up several of the VP's, as you can contrast and compare their
performance. On marks out of 10, I'm put Bob Palmer at 10, Bruce and Harry
Copperman at 9, the rest - well they're "improving"!

M

    G'Day,
    
    	Bruce visited Australia about 3 months ago (we don't see too many
    VPs down here) and I was also very impressed by his speech and my
    discussions with him after the formal part of the presentation.
    
    	We could do with a few more like him (no not *more* VPs - just
    better ones).
    
    David.

    RE:  .6
    
    You mean the 1 - 3 1/2 - 9 video, right?
    
    George

    ref to the base note and last few:
    
    Before we give such a high remarks to Bruce or any other members from
    the senior management team include Bob Palmer himself, we should watch
    what they have done as well as  what they are going to do.  Four years
    ago, we had a VP came to give us a speech.  Three days latter, that VP 
    resigned from Digital.
    
    Having been heard so many speeches, words really mean nothing anymore.  
    Bob Palmer and the senior management team always deliver excellent 
    speeches with perfect grammar and perfect spelling.  However, the Wall
    Street people do not just listen to their words and our stock price 
    can tell how much they are impressed.
    
    I'd admire a person because of his/her records not because of his/her
    words.
      

    They talk the talk,
    But do they walk the walk?
    

    
    Since I've never seen or heard Bruce, I have no opinion other than to
    echo the above - actions are what count.  There are a number of very
    important types who talk a good game, and even write well, but yet have
    been ineffectual.
    
    Of course, I'm not sure how the PCBU is going to save the company.  The
    best I hope for is that they start making money on a regular basis.
    
    

	When my stock price goes up over $50 and stays there, then
	maybe I'll think they are walking and talking. Till then, well...

							mike

    Bruce Claflin was one of the key note speakers last week at NT
    Symposium.  I was impressed with his scope and depth and of the server and
    workstation market, and the industry in general.  I clearly understands
    where the technology is going and what Digital needs to do to lead the
    way - yes, he wants to LEAD the way!  The only other speaker that had
    more of a "vision thing" was Mr. Supnik, who apparently impressed
    everyone that I spoke with afterwards.
    
    This company does have great people - the not so good ones need to get
    out of their way!

    From PC WEEK 3/10/97:
    
    Extract from Spencer F. Katt: Rumor Central, p. 158
    
    "Rumblings out of Maynard, Mass., indicate Bruce Claflin, head of
    Digital's embattled PC business unit, is moving up the executive food
    chain, possibly to the role of president or sales and marketing chief. 
    The moves could come down on St. Paddy's Day at a board of directors
    meeting, a tied-in tipster told the Katt."

    Another rumor... Potential consolidation of the SBU and PCBU. 
    
    Outcome(?) Bruce takes over the entire shibang..
    
    Chip

    RE: .16
    
    Oh goody! Another re-org.
    
    Laurie.

    ... a little help for a non-native English/American reader:
    
    Approximately when might "St. Paddy's Day" be ?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Klaus

    March 17th is St Patricks day. 

    re .18:
    
    �... a little help for a non-native English/American reader:
    
    non-native Irish, you mean....    ;-)
    

    I'll add to this string that I heard Bruce Claflin speak recently to a
    group of engineers and I remember telling my wife at dinner that night
    about this guy and what he had to say. He was the most impressive
    mind I have seen on display at Digital in quite a while, and I would
    say impressive spirit and vision as well. If he is moving up the food
    chain, then I think that is a good thing for Digital.
    Bruce 

Does this mean we could have a single product group?

Can you say "Back to the Future"?

Let's see... maybe we'll have central Engineering and manufacturing as 
separate groups. or maybe we'll organize by industries :-), :-(

How many times are we going to reorganize without letting the previous one 
have a chance to work the kinks out?

Ther must be a lot of power struggle up there

    RE: .21
    
    Lets just hope he does not stop till he gets to the top!
    
    dt
    

According to Dilbert, reorganization is like a cat
in a litter box moving things around to cover up what
they've done.

Reorganization is the second envelope.

						Brian

    
    When the new president took over the company, the departing president
    left 3 envelopes for him marked 1, 2 and 3, and the instructions to
    open the first one if things are not going well.
    
    Well, the company continued to have problems, and the president out of
    frustration closed his door, and opened the first envelope.  Printed on
    a card inside were the words "Blame the former President".  He slapped
    his forhead, and called his secretary.
    
    But things got worse.  Much worse.  And again, he locked his door and
    opened the second envelope... "Reorganize" said the second.  And off he
    went.
    
    But even reorganizations and layoffs didn't slow the decline.  So,
    finally he tore open the final envelope in desparation...  The final
    envelope said:
    
    	"Prepare 3 envelopes"
    
    

I was always very impressed with Mr. Palmer in the same way many previous notes
speak of Mr.Claflin.  I've reached the point where smooth talkers don't impress
me anymore.  I'm losing money in stocks and losing faith in our leaders.  Only
positive results will impress me from now on.

-John

    I wrote a note asking Bruce for help for Mr. Rogers.
    
    Fred is getting 6 new PCs today to help upgrade the Neighborhood.
    
    Fred thinks that we're OK.  And, we're helping a lot of kids.
    
    Every once in a while Digital does some right things with elegantly
    simple gestures.  This was one of them.
    

RE: .29

	Wow.. Nice to see that happen.

	Mr. Rogers is the man. :) (and I guess, in this case, so is
	Bruce!)

							mike

    John, great job. It wonderful to see that some of the DIGITAL folks
    still worry about things that they don't get credit for ;-)
    

    Boys and girls, can you say D-I-G-I-T-A-L?

Digital's Claflin may move up the corporate ladder 

A forthcoming management shake-up at Digital could mean greater authority for
Bruce Claflin.

Several sources said that Claflin (right), Digital's worldwide vice president
and general manager of the Personal Computer Business Unit, is in line to
assume the post of either president or chief operating officer of the company.

Robert Palmer has held three titles: president, CEO and chairman of the board.

At CeBIT last week in Germany, Claflin declined to comment on the speculation
but acknowledged his success in refocusing the PCBU on enterprise sales and
Windows NT.

"When I got here, there was no strategy," Claflin said. "We have made
significant progress in operational management and inventory."

The moves could happen as early as this week, sources said.
[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]

How many times does this have to be reposted before we all get the
message that it has already been reposted?!

    
    	Was that a rhetorical question?
    
    	And was that a rhetorical question?
    
    	And was that a ...