First, we wish the best for Russell Fradin, the successor to Cristóbal Conde, president and CEO for SunGard since 2002. But I have to add that it’s difficult to think of SunGard without Conde. Think of Steve Jobs and Apple Computer, Bill Gates and Microsoft, and Larry Ellison and Oracle—all visionaries whose ambitions and tenacity paid off. I think it’s fair to say that Conde, who ducked the limelight, deserves to be in that club.
For the record, Conde’s major achievements at SunGard are:
- Multiple acquisitions that expanded the reach of the software and services giant
- Taking the company private at the right time in August 2005 and guiding its transition to private ownership
- Growing revenue from $2.6 billion in 2002 to $5 billion in 2010
- Fostering international expansion of SunGard’s businesses
Yet more important than the official story is Conde’s equanimity in the face of calamity such as the Great Recession or the Next Big Thing such as cloud computing.
“I think it’s huge,” said Conde about the cloud in FTF’s inaugural profile in
Cris Conde
February. “I’ve been fortunate to have lived through several technology revolutions.” The aforementioned visionaries capitalized upon the PC, client/server computing and the Web revolutions—all now taken for granted. “I think the cloud is as important as the other three.”
Yet Conde has always been clear-eyed about the hype that buzzes around phenomena such as the cloud.
“I also think it’s important to de-mystify it,” Conde said to FTF. “Just because a process is in the clouds doesn’t mean that it’s suddenly able to perform magic.” Conde firmly rejected the predictions that the cloud will erase all that came before it. “Fundamentally, it’s no different than the advent of the PC. Did the PC get rid of the mainframes? No. Client/server, did that get rid of the mainframe? No. Did the Internet get rid of all types of inter-process communications? No.”
For SunGard’s business strategy, Conde flatly stated that, “it’s really an add-on. By the time it goes into production, it’s one more thing that goes into production.”
It’s very telling that the head of such a large company spoke so candidly, sidestepped hyperbole and focused on how a much-hyped technology will hit home. It’s also true that Conde was highly accessible to SunGard customers especially at its user-oriented events. I was always impressed that he stayed focused on customers and not on his legacy. He also wouldn’t bat an eye when a journalist like myself had to ask sometimes difficult questions about SunGard’s wares or its business.
Conde’s candor is also evident in Adam Bryant’s new book “The Corner Office,” about the lessons CEOs have learned on leadership and success. In the Wall Street Journal review of the book, one of Conde’s quotes from the book focuses on why he thinks collaboration and social networks work, and why SunGard uses Yammer internally. “I think that a CEO needs to focus more on the platform that enables collaboration,” said Conde, who adds that top managers are more like producers of shows, “rather than being the lead.”
On a personal note, I can attest that Conde does not indulge in hype about himself—he shuns it. He holds strong opinions on many subjects beyond IT, but like a scientist he takes in your opinions, evaluates them and then reveals what he thinks. But be prepared. It’s always a good idea when talking to Cris to think through your hypotheses. Also, I will always appreciate how he set aside the mantle of CEO when I caught up with him shortly after 9/11 and we talked at length about the mutual friends we lost. He had an extremely busy schedule but he didn’t let that bother him.
But like all good leaders of corporations it’s important to know when to exit. There are many examples of executives who stayed too long at the helm. I’m not saying that this is the case with SunGard—I truly thought Cris was going to lead SunGard through the cloud revolution. What I have should have seen is that he had carefully telegraphed his departure when SunGard went private, signaling that a successor really was in the cards. It’s also sign of a good leader to know when to bow out while you’re still on top of your game.
So, there will be lots of speculation about SunGard’s future over the coming weeks and the new CEO will have his work cut out for him. But let’s just take this moment and say that in this culture of narcissism, Conde did a great job of managing an incredibly complex empire, never grabbed for the spotlight, and was incredibly humble about his accomplishments. As we go forward, that may turn out to be his greatest legacy.
And, yes, we will miss the trademark bow ties.
Read FTF’s full inaugural Cris Conde interview.
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