Ross Perot: A Modern Inspirational Leader (presentation)

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On Tuesday, July 9, 2019, [Henry] Ross Perot, Sr. passed away from a five-month battle with leukemia, at the age of 89. It is sad to see him go, but I am glad he is no longer suffering. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. He led an amazing life, had a positive impact (directly and indirectly) on so many people, and helped shape the IT Services industry.

I worked at Perot Systems, later Dell Services, and then even later, NTT Data Services. I had the honor of even meeting Mr. Perot one time and told him how much I admired him as an individual and as a leader. So much so, that I even authored a paper and did a [PowerPoint] presentation about him in college.

The following presentation was for “Leadership – BMGT 2309” for my Business Management AAS. It was presented on May 5, 2010, with the criteria of choosing any leader and telling a story in regards to what and why he led, an analysis of how he led, a description of how he created a motivating environment, and any mistakes he made.

Presentation (2010)

I wanted to begin with some verbatim quotes from Ross Perot. 1st quote was taken from his book entitled My Life & The Principles for Success. 4th quote is engraved in an 8-foot eagle/platform statue in the main entrance to Dell-Perot Systems. This has stuck with me since the first interview I had at Perot Systems. It is true Ross understands that everyone is unique and that you have to be on the look out for them, and not everyone fits in a mold.
Native Texan & Veteran?! Well I am sold. Business man for an extremely long time. CEO / Founder of 2 very successful IT companies: EDS & Perot Systems. Not so successful Politician. Son, Husband, Father. One of the wealthiest (billions) individuals in America.
Great Value system and phenomenal work ethic. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”, the Golden Rule. The employees knew that they could go to him for anything, and so did those employee’s managers. Involved in every department. He did not like ‘managers’ going through the motions. He wanted them to be leaders and ‘make it happen.’ He is very involved with his employees including when something bad has happened in their lives. For example, my father works at PSC. My mother found out she had a tumor, and in turn the company found out, Ross had his personal physician make sure that she was going to get the proper treatment.
When Ross was born it was during the Great Depression to a below average income family. At age 6 he wanted to get a bike and his father gave him the idea of work. During this time frame it was not unusual for children to work outside of their school time. He started by selling Christmas cards and garden seeds. When he got his bike, he realized it was a business investment as he started to sell newspapers and magazines. And so his business career begins. He set a goal and went through all 4 levels of Cub Scouts, onto Boy Scouts and eventually Eagle Scouts. During World War II he and his father supported troops by opening up part of their house for troops to sleep. So begins his long lived support of the soldiers who protect our freedom. He did well in High School & Jr. College and he surrounded himself with friends that were more intelligent then he and had the same ethics. His sophomore year he was President of the Student Council and led a student movement to expand and enlarge the university to support 4 year degrees.
[If you are going to be principled (ethical) there are no shortcuts (expediency)]. In the Naval Academy Ross was top of his class in leadership 3 times a year for all 4 years. Ross was elected Vice President of his class his sophomore year and President his junior and senior years. He also became the Chairman of the Honor Committee.
One day while in the Mediterranean Ross saw all of the wealthy people sitting on their Yachts with everything you could want. He saw they all looked bored.
In 1957, A few months before his time in the service was to end, Ross had some more luck on his side. An executive from IBM was onboard, and heard about Ross Perot, now Assistant Navigator on board the USS Leyte. The executive came to Ross and asked him if he would be interested in a job. Ross accepted the invitation to interview even though Ross had no idea what IBM was at that time. Part of the reason for his success is that computers were SO new that everyone was buying them.
Was so successful in sales (territorial) they were going to take some of that way from him. He stated that he didn’t want work to be taken away, rather why don’t you pay me less commission. At this time 80% of the sales were in hardware and only 20% was in software. IBM respectfully declined. While reading a column a quote stuck out: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” (Perot from H.D. Thoreau).
The Perot family had been living off of just Ross’ paycheck and even then, a lot was going into the bank. Margot was teaching and all of that went into the bank. So he had a large emergency fund. Started selling his idea of “whole package a t a predetermined price: hardware, software, programming, and operations”. Won a project with Collins Radio with two friends helping out after they got out of the primary job. Then the process started coming together. Won Frito Lay even though IBM tried to outbid them. Mr. Lay remembers starting his company and gave Ross a chance. When Pepsico took over Mr. Lay suggested that Ross should speak to Pepsico as well.
He was very particular on who he hired. The main recruiting was done out of military officers and recent state college graduates. They did intense aptitude tests to test for engineering skills since this was so new to the industry. Even then Jeff Heller failed 1/3, but Ross hired him. Jeff later became the President of EDS.
In 1984, EDS was sold to GM. Ross remained on the board for a couple of years with a substantial amount of shares. Ross did not like the leadership style of GM stepped down and sold his shares. HP acquired EDS in 2008.
GM tried to fight PSC being formed because of the agreement Ross and GM made stating he would start another IT company within 3 years. “The founders brought diverse industry, technical, and management expertise to the table—but even more so, they brought a common desire to build a company dedicated to delivering results for customers, based on the core values of personal and professional integrity.”
Once I have completed this Associates Degree and I have my CAPM certification I am actually thinking of going back.
Dell purchased Perot Systems in 2009 in response to HP purchasing EDS.
In 1969 – The President of the US asked Ross to put together a campaign to free US POWs in Vietnam. Though directly unsuccessful the treatment of the POWs changed shortly there after. In 1979 - he sponsored militaristic efforts to rescue two EDS employees who were being wrongfully held in prison in Iran. Later a novel and a mini series were created out of these events. This story was quite impactful on me and this is where I believe that Ross shines as a leader. He will do personal sacrifices for his family friends, and employees. He put his life in danger in order to save his men. In 1981, President Reagan has Ross join President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. In 1983, the Governor of Texas asked for Perot’s assistance to improve the quality of public education in the state. Ross Perot on Budget & Economy Weak dollar means weak America. (Jul 1996) Lack of Balanced Budget Amendment caused dollar’s decline. (Jul 1996) Idea for Balanced Budget Amendment began in 1787. (Jul 1996) Tax incentives to encourage corporate & personal savings. (Jul 1996) United We Stand America: Focus on economy & debt. (Jan 1993) Change rules to foster small business investment & growth. (Jul 1992)

Thank you for your time,

 

Volume 10 Issue 02 (60) 
Original Post: 07/11/2019
Posted in Blog-Education.

Jeremiah D Shepard

View posts by Jeremiah D Shepard

My mission is to lead strategically by SHEPARD-ING: guide and motivate teams in best practice adoption, positive change, and continual improvement through authentic servant leadership, creativity, and mentorship.

Digital Service Management Leader & Practice Owner passionate about Continual Improvement | MBA, IT Management | ITIL 4 Managing Professional | PMP