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IN THE HEYDAY OF MAINFRAME COMPUTING, CUSTOMERS COULD JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. IBM CORP. ENGINEERS ALL WORE SLATE-GRAY SUITS, WHITE SHIRTS AND DARK TIES AND CONFIDENTLY TACKLED THE MOST DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. THE MESSAGE OF IBM'S DRESS CODE WAS THAT ITS ENGINEERS AND ITS COMPUTERS WERE RELIABLE.
However, dress does not define Sun Microsystems Inc., nor can the company or its employees be judged by appearances. The reason: Chief Executive Scott McNealy.
McNealy is not like other CEOs, nor is Sun typical of enterprise-oriented companies. There is a casual air about both, but with serious undertones.
Dressed in a green polo shirt and blue jeans, McNealy darts about his spacious office, moving from one pile of paper to the next. He has the restless air of a wayward traveler who, having come home for a short time, anxiously pores through unread mail and quickly assesses the state of his affairs.
McNealy's office is an environment atypical of the CEO of a $10 billion company. The interior designer's look is absent, and the personal touch is everywhere. Upon first glance, the space appears cluttered, but it quickly becomes obvious that the paper is arranged in meaningful stacks.
McNealy's favorite pastime is evident. On a rack that in another chief executive's office might hold coats and hats are hockey sticks. A picture window affording a view of green space and a boardroom-sized whiteboard fill adjacent walls. One view is for thought, the other for expression.
The hallmark of McNealy's...