WWT 'Visionary' CEO, Touted By Michael Dell And HPE's Neri, Explains His Successful Leadership Strategy
by Mark Haranas, CRN
One of the most innovative and popular tech CEOs on the planet is World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh, who crafted a unique leadership curriculum that's been the key to WWT's success for decades.
"Individuals at World Wide may be really, really good from a performance standpoint, but we are very disciplined about, 'We're either going to coach you up so your values get in-line with ours, or we're going to coach you out,'" said Kavanaugh, the co-founder and longtime leader of $20 billion IT powerhouse WWT.
WWT's Integrated Management and Leadership (IML) curriculum is a main reason why sales and WWT's influence continues to skyrocket decade after decade, while at the same time, winning countless employee-workplace awards, such as being named to Fortune's prestigious list of "Best Companies To Work For" for 14 years in a row.
Michael Dell: 'Long-Term Success Is Rooted In Company Culture'
Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell touts Kavanaugh as "a true visionary" with a top-notch leadership strategy and philosophy that drives success.
"Jim has always understood that the key to long-term success is rooted in company culture," Dell tells CRN. "I've spent a lot of time with the WWT team over the years, and I've seen Jim's focus on his people, their development and company culture. I've also seen how that focus has transformed WWT into a machine of innovation and customer service."
[Related: WWT CEO Jim Kavanaugh Honored With Best Of The Channel Lifetime Achievement Award]
HPE CEO Antonio Neri said Kavanaugh is a "visionary leader" who helps not only elevate WWT and its customers, but HPE as well.
"Jim's people-first philosophy is at the heart of everything he does," Neri tells CRN. "Both colleagues and customers frequently highlight Jim's genuine care for people, as he leads with empathy, integrity, and a deep respect for those around him."
WWT's IML Curriculum Key To Success
The St. Louis-based company's IML curriculum is so critical to WWT's success and future that Kavanaugh spent millions this year on hosting a leadership conference in Las Vegas.
"It was not a sales kickoff. It was not a business development kickoff. It was around training and developing our managers and leaders around our values, our behaviors and our business concepts," WWT's CEO said.
More than 2,000 WWT employees attended the three-day event in Las Vegas aimed at reinforcing the company's integrated management and leadership curriculum that focused on training, developing and mentoring managers and leaders. WWT's cultural values steer employees toward great teamwork, kindness for each other, a passion for hard work and making sure they are engaged and excited about working at WWT.
"To stand the test of time in technology, a leader has to see what's coming and fearlessly reinvent to stay ahead," Michael Dell said. "Jim has always positioned WWT for success."
In an interview with CRN, Kavanaugh takes a deep dive, explaining WWT's IML curriculum, leadership strategy, and his major decisions over the past 35 years that has built WWT into one of the world's leading tech companies.