I spent much of my career directing think-tank organizations that focused on the needs of the US Intelligence community. My organization investigated the forefront of every new technology that came along, which meant that I bought them the latest and greatest processing equipment.
We were intrigued by an expensive and novel computing asset for our laboratory. Because it was so expensive, our corporate officer, Gene Stapp, and my division president, Marshall Williamson had to be sign off on the purchase. They had me fly to Redwood, California with them so they could be convinced that this investment would have a suitable return.
Now, Marshall Williamson had joined our predominantly hardware company as a software programmer. His notable distinction was being the first software person to be promoted to division president. At company functions, employees would surreptitiously post an old photo of Marshall with his scraggly beard and leather sandals, the way he looked when he first started work at the company as a software geek. My guess is that Marshall took secret pride in these postings.
Gene, on the other hand, had not seen technology for years. He was a corporate officer.
Larry Ellison, the flamboyant cofounder and CEO of Oracle, was our first stop. Larry had personally invested in the computing technology I was investigating and agreed to share with us his reasons for investing and his thoughts about taking the new technology public. His high-rise office, elaborate lifestyle, and California persona were poised to impress us, but in our government contracting we often found ourselves on opposite sides of the table from Oracle, so, at best, we were circumspect in the meeting. Larry was cordial and Gene and Marshall asked a lot of questions, mostly financial. My mind was not overly engaged because I was focused on the technology.
That afternoon, we visited the company with the technology. The gurus put us in a conference room with ample refreshments and began the technology presentation. I was engaged, asking questions and probing the capabilities. I had done my homework. We were connecting the dots and filling in the logic. Marshall and Gene asked only a few questions. The room was smoking hot with technology.
We were only about seventy minutes into an entire afternoon’s presentations and still accelerating to speed when something strange occurred. Gene waited for a natural break in the presentation and says to the president of the company, “We need to caucus among ourselves, Marshall, Lynwood, and I. Would you mind leaving us (alone) so we can caucus and consider the things we have heard so far?”
The president of the company does not know what to think. He looks worried. I’m a little worried myself. Did I miss something? Did Gene spot a technology flaw that slipped past me? Is he thinking we should not invest in this technology? Does he think it is too expensive? What?
There was nothing the president of the company could say except, “Of course. Take all the time you need. Let us know when you’re finished.” All their troops march out of the room and leave Gene, Marshall, and I to caucus among ourselves.
Gene waits until they are all gone. I’m quiet not knowing what to expect. Marshall does not say anything, either. I look across the table at Gene who finally breaks the silence, “I don’t want anything,” he says. “It’s just that I’ve had about all the technology I can stand. If you want to buy this stuff, go ahead. I’ve heard all I need to hear. I’m done here. It’s your call.”
I let out a relieved laugh. “Okay, I say. Sounds good to me.” I reach over for the refreshments and pass them around. We take our coats off, loosen our ties, put our feet on the conference table, and lean back. Gene and Marshall spend the next half-hour talking about other things they are working on. Gene calls his secretary and has her book the next flight out, about ninety minutes away. I call the group back in. I tell them that Gene and Marshall have had a change in plans and we all must now leave on an earlier flight. I tell the president of the company that I will get back in touch with him. Gene, Marshall, and I head for the airport. I call the company later that week and close the deal.
What you have here is Decision Maker saturation. Decision makers can only stand so much technology and then they shut off. Therefore, when you brief a decision maker, be certain that the technology part of the presentation is pertinent to the overall business objective. Do not brief technology for technology’s sake. Keep your objectives in plain sight. If you are requesting an investment, focus only on those items important to the investment and of interest to the decision maker. Work the deep technical issues off-line or separately with the technologists. Do not take up the decision makers’ time with technology they do not want to hear.
A better approach in this particular scenario would have been for the company to stick to the high nails and brief Gene and Marshall only on the technology features of interest to them – the competition, life-cycle costs, technology maturation, asset aging, and so forth. Then, find something for the them to visit or tour while the technology was briefed to me.
Now, you ask, why did I fly back to Dallas with Gene and Marshall and not stay, myself, and hear more of the technology? “Why would I do that?” is my answer. Think about it. I had already made my technology decision before I ever went on this trip. The purpose in going was not to convince me, but to convince Gene and Marshall to sign on the dotted line. That being done, I was done. I needed to spend my time working the next project, not staying there to fill in an afternoon. Plus, as technologists we do not get much face time with the big decision makers in our company. I wanted to fly back to Dallas with them so I could talk about my next great idea.
The bottom line is this: be careful with decision makers. When the subject is technology, they saturate readily.
I regret to add that Marshall Williamson departed this life far too early. His perspicacious humor, creativity, and unique leadership skills earned him my devotion. I am proud to say that he was my friend and even though he left several years ago, I yet often lament his parting.