Bill Campbell, passed away in 2016. I was fortunate to attend his memorial along with hundreds of others.
In a career that spanned several decades, Bill contributed in various roles, including CEO & Chairman of several Silicon Valley companies. However, he was fondly known as the Coach of Silicon Valley.
Bill was one of my Gurus on leadership.
Here are a few thoughts expressing my gratitude for his contribution to my life.
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Dear Bill,
It was in 1989 that I first had the privilege of being a member of your team at GO Corporation. I was a young software engineer, writing code for GO’s email platform.
This was my first experience in a startup. I was fortunate to be in the midst of an awesome founding team, experienced Silicon Valley executives and top VCs.
I fondly recall our weekly company meetings. About 60 of us would gather and sit on the floor in 1 big room and hallways. Just like a master conductor in an orchestra, you would set the framework for our interaction and then bring in the executive team to share their thoughts in an integrated, cohesive and transparent manner.
Not only did you inspire us and rally the team, but you also provided each of us a handle to go back home to our families and share our renewed belief in the direction of the company.
What really inspired me was your focus on the human touch, the importance of connecting with each other, and engaging intently to seek synergy with others.
Over time, I became a follower, as you touched the lives of so many leaders and teams in Silicon Valley in various avatars as CEO, Chairman and more importantly, as coach.
As Eric Schmidt has shared openly in his CNN Money interview, “one of the most important events in my life was to have a coach… and that coach was Bill Campbell.”
In a technology driven world, we thrive on logical, deductive, analytical, problem-solving conversations. That's what helps us create value with our products and solutions. For the most part, technology leaders echo this behavior in their style and expect this from others around them.
While logical conversations are great for problem-solving and execution, in order to bring out creativity in people and foster innovation, leaders need to “first connect with others with their heart before they can synergize their thoughts.”
This was the seed you left behind with me.
After stints in multiple startups and global companies in multiple countries as a technologist, business leader and CEO, I found my Aha and my calling a few years ago… to contribute as leadership coach.
Today, with your blessings & inspiration, I coach leaders worldwide to help them transform to global, multicultural, inspirational leaders and awesome humans.
I hope to see you in heaven some day.
With my respects...
Founder & CEO, Group Tminus
