The Eye For Innovation

Control Data Spin-Offs and Start-Ups

Check out our new page that can be found in the index to the left under the "Pages" category or by clicking here: Control Data Legacy Tree. This is a preliminary report prepared by Mike Moore, director of the William C. Norris Institute, with assistance from many individuals, and released on October 12, 2007, at the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of Control Data Corporation. It is meant to be a starting point for contributions by all who have knowledge of CDC-related “legacy” companies in the following categories:

1. True spin-offs, in which CDC assets were transferred to create a new company;
2. A transfer of CDC assets to an existing company;
3. New companies provided with seed capital investments by CDC or one of its economic development organizations, and
4. Companies started by ex-CDC people.

Leaders of Innovation and Values They Exhibit

The past couple months were almost totally consumed celebrating innovation, and in particular Control Data Corporation’s Legacy of Innovation.  There have been lots of postings in that regard and there will be more.  But today I want to return to the topic of leading innovation and five values that successful leaders of innovation exhibit.

I started this series with the need for successful leaders to understand that the true reward of executive leadership, and especially leadership of innovation, is accomplishing complex tasks, achieving difficult goals through the success of other people.  One of the most gripping stories that was told as part of our recent 50th anniversary celebration was that of Don Bitzer and the development of the PLATO computer mediated learning system.  PLATO was a truly seminal technology.  Actually it comprised several seminal technologies including software for remote, interactive, asynchronous group learning and action whose offspring include such things as Lotus Notes. Those technologies also included development of flat panel plasma displays for which Don received an Emmy. There were other breakthroughs in pocket switched communications and software to help authors better develop computer based instruction.  Other  people involved such as Bob Morris, Mike Allen and of course Don himself, their success was essential to the success of this great innovation.

The same was true of Seymour Cray, Chuck Casale, Sam Slais and other leading computer designers in Control Data.  You will soon be able to learn more about these product successes and the people responsible for them by referencing Wikipedia.  But my point here is simply that the executive leadership of Control Data, and especially its founding CEO, made it possible for these diverse individuals to be successful; no, more than just “made it possible,”  he nurtured the success of others in all walks of life.

The second principle is this:  develop your own style  --  learn from everyone, imitate none.  Each of us has strengths, each of us has weaknesses.  Your management style will work and you will be a successful leader if you learn to fit these strengths and weaknesses to the task of providing an environment built on the first principle of success through the success of others.  Your decisions, actions and communication will then implicitly lead others to understand and believe that they can make a difference, that you believe in them, and that you expect them to fulfill their potential by working on their weaknesses while drawing on their strengths.