General Ulysses S. Grant Takes a Stand Against a Sitting President: President JohnsonAs a nation, we are proud that our top political leader does not adorn him or herself in medals and military splendor. The respect for the position of President of the United States is not based on the might of the sword but the political will of the people. Ours is a civilian leader, and we would never take lightly the stand of a general against the directions of his or her duly-elected Commander in Chief. But, in this incident captured by A. B. Farquhar it did happen . . . and maybe other times never captured in print. Integrity many times demands a stand of personal conviction and, in this instance, General Grant stood strong. A. B. Farquhar was a mid-19th Century to early 20th Century American Industrialist. He knew Lincoln. He knew all the presidents thereafter until his death. He knew General Ulysses S. Grant. This is a modified excerpt from Mr. Farquhar’s book, An Autobiography of A. B. Farquhar. Select the image or link below to read the full article. 
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Andrew Carnegie's Thoughts on How to Get the Best Out of an Employee.“There lie latent unsuspected powers in willing men [and women] around us which only need appreciation and development to produce surprising results. Money rewards alone will not however insure these, for to the most sensitive and ambitious natures there must be the note of sympathy, appreciation, friendship. "Genius is sensitive in all its forms, and it is unusual ability—not ordinary ability, that tells [achieves results]. You must capture and keep the 'heart' of the original and supremely able man [or woman] before his [or her] brain can do its best.” Burton J. Hendrick, The Life of Andrew Carnegie As with Thomas J. Watson Sr., Andrew Carnegie grows in my admiration as I study more of the early 19th and 20th Century American Industrialists. Select the image or link provided below to read more of Andrew Carnegies' business wisdom.  Review of Ida M. Tarbell's, "A History of American Life: The Nationalizing of Business."I was once again impressed by Ida M. Tarbell’s’ balanced approach to history and her description of the actors who interacted—and sometimes fought—with each other. She covers the individuals with Emerson’s Lengthening Shadow who led capital, business, and labor during this time. The Nationalizing of Business 1878–1898: Volume IX is on par with Mark Sullivan’s Our Times. Mr. Sullivan’s series of six volumes focuses on the opening twenty-five years of the 20th Century, where this series takes a more expansive look at American life from 1492 through, initially, 1928 with Volume XII, which was then extended through 1941 and The Great Depression with Volume XIII. Chose the image or the icon below to read this full review and reviews of her other works.  IBM Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna's Performance through 2021Peter E. Greulich has updated IBM's and Arvind Krishna's key performance indicators (KPIs) through the end of 2021. They are summarized on the "Arvind Krishna Overall Performance Home Page." IBM released its 2021 Annual Report in March 2022 and these pages were updated in early April 2022. The next set of updates to these specific pages should be in April 2023 after the release of the IBM 2022 Annual Report. Select the image or the link below to read about Arvind Krishna's performance from the end of 2019 when Virginia M. Rometty relinquished the corner officer through 2021.  Comparing IBM's 20th and 21st Century Key Performance IndicatorsEach year after IBM releases its annual report, this chart is updated to document the difference between two sets of IBM chief executive officers: (1) two 20th Century leaders who managed a business and (2) four 21st Century leaders who are managing a business to a stock price or to a stock price metric such as earnings-per-share. In the 20th Century, IBM made a sixteen-year transition that set it apart from and ahead of its competition for almost a half century [Read: The Greatest Business Gamble of the 20th Century]. Some analysts believe that IBM is in a similar transition in the 21st Century. This author disagrees. Over the last sixteen years how have IBM's chief executive officers performed against some similar critical key performance metrics? The answer should not be a surprise to any IBMer or analyst that understands what it took to build the 20th Century IBM. The Watsons invested in making people more productive, processes more effective and products more valuable. This is what happens when you invest in paper (stock buybacks/repurchases) instead. Select the image or the link below to read the full story presented in a single chart.  The Impact of Social Media on the Best of Humanity"In this new era of social media, we have yet to rise to the point of displaying the best of our humanity. … Instead, in our social interactions, we are little more than a family … of animals. "Set an example for your children … be better!" Peter E. Greulich, April 1, 2022 Select the image or the icon below to read other business witticisms.  |
Peter E. GreulichPeter E. has been studying IBM and early American corporate history since his retirement in 2011. These are his thoughts and musings, and of those whose biographies and autobiographies he has read with links to articles and book reviews on this website. 
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