Geeks, Mush Heads and the IT Revolution by Ernst Volgenau

Author:Ernst Volgenau
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781442242814
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

15Going Public

Get money when it is available; don’t wait until you really need it.

Values are vital; capable people want to be part of something great.

When I first began to think about forming a company in 1970, I imagined that one day it would be listed on a public exchange. I got the idea from Ross Perot, who at that time had the most successful initial public offering (IPO) for an IT company. His success caused Fortune magazine to label Perot “the fastest rich Texan ever.” I had met him many years before then, in June 1954, on a Navy destroyer, the USS Sigourney. I led a group of midshipmen from the Naval Academy and civilian universities that were on a summer cruise to Europe, learning firsthand about shipboard life. As the midshipmen officer in charge, I had the opportunity to stand watch with Perot, who was a highly regarded ensign. He had graduated from the academy in 1953.

A Navy ship operates around the clock, and a captain’s responsibilities are formidable, but even he needs time to sleep. The captain, therefore, delegates to the officer-of-the-watch the responsibility to guide the ship. During our first few watches together, Ensign Perot described what he was doing, gave me tips on his job, and small tasks to perform such as changing ship speed through commands to the engine room. The midwatch (midnight to 4:00 a.m.) was an excellent time for me to learn. We were steaming in a convoy with larger ships inside and the destroyers (manned by about three hundred people each) in a circle around them. This is a classic formation designed to protect the larger ships from torpedo attack, although our nation was not at war and there was no threat.

At that time of night, the bridge (located in the upper part of the ship’s super structure) is dark to give officers outward visibility. Even the various indicators are dimmed. The ship rolls back and forth slowly. Sailors are expected not only to stand watch at night but also to perform a full work day. It is easy to get sleepy—but not Ensign Perot. An energetic, voluble man, he provided opinions in a twangy, Texas accent filled with aphorisms on subjects ranging from geopolitics to military life. I listened, occasionally inserting a brief question during his rare pauses. His guidance and leadership example, together with that of many others during my military career, would serve me well in building a business.

The night before the end of the cruise, I asked him a final question, “Mr. Perot, would you briefly give me one guideline on how to be a good officer?”

Without hesitating, he replied, “Do what you have been taught at the Naval Academy. Be honest, work hard, take care of your men, and they will take care of you.”

Although devoted to the Navy, Perot was too impatient to endure the slow promotion process. After a few years, he resigned his commission and joined IBM selling computers. He exceeded his quota well before the end of the first year.

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