The worst CEO
There are only a few CEO’s that have been famous for the classic American rags-to-rich
story as Larry Ellison. Co-founding Oracle 1977 and saving it from bankruptcy in the
1990’s to make it to the current third largest software producer by revenue brought him
unparalleled recognition and admiration.
Surprisingly, given Oracle’s undeniable success story Larry Ellison’s working and
operating behavior completely do not follow contemporary leadership thoughts. With a
management style that many see as narcissistic and aggressive, his despotic manners and
his unprecedented ego I would even claim that compared with contemporary findings and
thoughts about leadership Larry Ellison is one, if not, the worst CEO of a blue chip
company that I am aware of.
Referring to Scott Cook (founder of Intuit) one of the most important tasks of a CEO
should be to fortify employees to experiment by creating an appropriate and pleasant
surrounding. Contrastingly, Larry Ellison is known for his will to be the person in charge
for the most important issues at Oracle, therefore acting as a gatekeeper by wanting
all-embracing control and consequently preventing employees from experiment.
As stated by Jim Clark leaders should always restrain their ego by practicing more
patience and modesty. On the contrary, Larry Ellison’s self-confidence is legendary,
resulting one critic even to state that Ellison “needs a fork-lift to carry his ego around.”
Thus, he is famous for being a bad listener whose flashy behavior tends to frighten
employees and customers alike.
Undeniable, Larry Ellison can be considered as one of the most successful CEO’s in last
decades. Nevertheless, I claim him being one of the worst CEO’s in blue chip companies
given the background that his management style is completely inconsistent with current
beliefs stated by leadership experts.