Reflections on Andy Grove
Yesterday the world lost one of the most brilliant, accomplished, inspirational and visionary leaders of our time: Andy Grove. I was incredibly fortunate to have worked closely with Andy – first in 1995 when I did two media tours for his critically-acclaimed book, “High Output Management” and then again between 1996 and 2000 during my time with Intel. I was heartbroken to read the news of his passing late yesterday, but I take great comfort in the many memories we shared, as well as in the countless stories, tweets, Facebook posts and other tributes that have appeared since news of his death shook Silicon Valley and the business world.
It’s almost impossible to quantify his impact on business, technology and me personally. Working for and with Andy made me more self-aware…motivated me to work harder and smarter…and gave me a healthy dose of paranoia (the good kind). Under his leadership, I came to appreciate the value of Effective Meetings…Constructive Confrontation…the importance of being on time…and how to “Disagree and Commit”.
Andy made me, and everyone he came in contact with – better. Intel’s Chairman Andy Bryant summed things up this way:
“Andy approached corporate strategy and leadership in ways that continue to influence prominent thinkers and companies around the world. He combined the analytic approach of a scientist with an ability to engage others in honest and deep conversation, which sustained Intel’s success over a period that saw the rise of the personal computer, the Internet and Silicon Valley.”
For those of you that are not familiar with Andy or his story, I would strongly encourage you to read his books – three in particular:
But if you want to get a feel for the man today, check out Ben Horowitz’ terrific 2015 tribute to him - The Man Who Built Silicon Valley: A Tribute to Andy Grove
Finally, below is a collection of some of my favorite Andy sayings. I hope you find them as insightful and inspiring as I do...
I’m all about that bass (‘bout that bass) no treble
9 年Good post, Adam. We were all lucky to be in ASG's presence. An amazing guy.
CMO, B2B SaaS revenue leader, investor
9 年Very well done Adam! Really enjoyed this.
During my time as a intel employee I read Andy's memoir Swimming Across and I actually emailed him, :-) , as I had some questions and I had no expectation of a response. I was humbled that he actually took the time to answer my questions with regards to his book. But there was a dialog that developed out of it. Anyway my point of sharing this was that he was a class act finding time to entertain my enquiry.
Chief External Relations Officer at The Task Force for Global Health
9 年Nice piece, Adam. Have been thinking a lot today about the days of our Intel PR gang in the late '90s, and what a great opportunity that was and how much we all learned. I think often about the culture that Andy Grove fostered there and appreciate it even more now.
Very nicely done Adam.