Name: Intel CEO’s leadership message: “We must be bold and fearless”
Uploaded: 2020-03-02
Duration: 5 min 21 s
Description: Bob Swan rallies Intel like a team sport.

[ MUSIC ] Bob, you're the seventh CEO in Intel's long history, but you're different from the six CEOs before you. You're not a scientist or an engineer, you're a Finance guy, and you're an outsider. But still, you got a standing ovation from Intel employees when news got out that you got the top job. Why were they cheering? I came into the company with a huge appetite to understand what has made this company so special. So as an outsider coming in, I didn't come in to say How the world has to change. I came in with the utmost respect of what the company had created long before I got there and with that, gained, I think, the trust and the respect of the team that not only was I appreciative of what they created but also an incredible desire to nurture the capabilities that the people To make it even better going forward. Still, some people would say that you got the job at a difficult time, because it was just after the sudden departure of the former Intel CEO. So what kind of things did you do to get people comfortable and confident with the new boss? I look at things as a team sport, and in the transition to the new CEO, a player went down and the rest of the team had to step in fill the void because, our desires and ambitions were relatively large . And therefore Rallying the team around the opportunity, as opposed to around, losing a teammate, if you will, is how we spent our time and energy right out of the gate. Let's look forward, what are we going to do as a team to take this company forward? And I think that was rally the leadership team which in turn rally, the 110, 000 people that we have to lead. I understand that one way you also reached out to your employees by was regularly sending them these short conversational videos starring you. And I understand they were just taped on a cell phone. Where you talked about your goals for the company, the ambitions and feedbacks from customers. How did this go over, as a leadership tool? Was it effective? I think so. I mean, I think, in some ways, it's trying to demystify the role of the CEO in th corner office and bring to life a little bit How I spend my time. So I travel a lot, I get the chance to see employees around the globe, customers around the globe, engage on the things we're doing around the globe. And in some ways, I have the greatest job in the world because I get to see some of the coolest things that we're doing. Whether it's you know, things that we do inventing products with things we do to enhance the communities in which we operate. And I get to see that in my role and sharing it with people, I think it's pretty powerful. Here's the role of how I spend my time. Here's what we're doing. Here's the impact we have. And to the extent we can share that with a broad based group of people, I think. In so many ways, it allows employees to see the totality of what we do. But it also demystifies this perception of the role of the CEO in the corner office. Are you still doing these videos? Yeah. And so what is the feedback you're getting from your hundred 10, 000 employees? Thank you. Wow. [ LAUGH ] Aren't you exhausted to why don't we do this. So our idea's about the next video it should be. So, it's kind of, it's all over meant. it's all over the Math and that's the idea, the idea is. To get feedback. If they don't get any feedback they're probably not working that well. So I got all sorts of feedback, good and maybe not so good, but it gives us a reason to have another one. Well I understand that on your first day as CEO you sent out an email to everyone in the company, and you wrote We must be bold and fearless, and you encouraged everyone to go beyond what they thought possible. So it's been a year now since you wrote that email, what would you say is the progress on getting people bold and fearless? I mean in someways, that bold and fearless attitude is Kind of what made the company so special ?. But over the years we got big, we got complicated we have you know, we we play all over the world and in some ways we We lost a little bit that fearless spirit and we're just trying to rekindle it. I think a lot to see you, relate totally to what you're saying because many of them whom I speak with, all want to create a culture of innovation and risk taking but what's your strategy I mean how do you get people to be willing to take risks and to do it fearlessly? I have to be comfortable taking more risk. I have to be comfortable getting out of my comfort zone. I have to be comfortable making mistakes. I have to be comfortable talking about my mistakes. And when that happens, I think it gets people more comfortable and taking a little more risk and learning From things that don't work out the way they planned and that is what I think will make us a stronger, better company.

Bob Swan rallies Intel like a team sport.