Jack Flack (aka, Paul Pendergrass) has some ideas for new Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz over on DealBook. Here's an excerpt and summary:
Thus far, your biggest obstacle is your own lack of spin instincts. So with the four-year [stock-performance] clock ticking loudly, and your head flack running for the hills, here are six pieces of advice on how to get the story moving for you:
1. Watch your friggin’ mouth. I know the moxie shtick has worked well for you thus far in your career, but you’ve just plunked yourself into one of the business world’s most brightly lighted fishbowls. The difference in scrutiny applied to the head of Autodesk versus the head of Yahoo is similar to the difference of scrutiny applied to the governor of Alaska versus the vice presidential nominee of the Republican Party. In fact, those little soft-profanity expressions that play so well in a conference room of colleagues will almost always end up sounding like coarse Palinisms when they are recounted in the tech blogs. And if Yahoo doesn’t have some momentum in six months, any locker-room bravado will simply be interpreted as a symptom that you are in over your head.
2. Become the C.L.O. Yes, that’s right, the Chief Leaking Officer... Keep reading >
Jack's other ideas: Avoid getting bogged down in the details, cut to the core, ignore the fun-loving culture, and negotiate with Steve Ballmer with every public statement.
We agree with almost all of this except the first bit. We like the friggin moxie.
See Also: Carol Bartz On Verge Of Making First Big Mistake
