Over the past 50 years, disk drive technology has come a long way. Success came from scientific discoveries (and a little luck!), but those discoveries would have ended up on the drafting floor without the practical, real-world leadership that partnered science with manufacturing.
A true leader first recognizes a cause whose time has come and then must convince a diverse bunch of people that, in their hearts, they share with you a goal worth striving for. Today, it's exciting to read about pixie dust and molecular computing, but we also need the kind of get in front leadership that brought the hard drive to commercial success before these new discoveries can be useful outside the research lab.
Al Shugart, whose favorite saying about leadership comes from the Taoist tradition, Find a parade and get in front of it, steps forward to share stories of the unconventional leadership style that made him a legend in the disk drive industry.
PARC
Pake Auditorium
3333 Coyote Hill Road
Palo Alto,
