A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Mark Hurd’s sudden departure from HP, stating:
…months prior to being placed on the “crosshairs of failure,”more often than not, these individuals (like Mark Hurd) were being praised for their leadership acumen, their business insights and strong stewardship capabilities. They were the future, and being treated accordingly. However once the shoe fell, everything good was displaced. The list of accolades, forgotten. The awards, dismissed. The strong words of praise, erased. Everything feels and appears different.
Needless to say, such events are messy situations, with everyone focused on covering their perverbial A**. And in this whirlwind, emerges the The Good, The Bad & The Ugly as relates to forced outplacement of key executives.
Well over the weekend, Mark Hurd’s friend and perverbial cheerleader during the crisis, Oracle’s Larry Elison, came to Mark’s rescue by offering him a position as a President. And now, not surprisingly, HP is going after Hurd with a vengeance. “In his new positions, Hurd will be in a situation in which he cannot perform his duties for Oracle without necessarily using and disclosing HP’s trade secrets and confidential information to others,” HP said in a blog posting.
Hurd, the chosen one, is quickly losing favor and face. And while Mark Hurd may have embarrassed the HP Board upon his departure, I believe that this will be payback time for HP - rightfully so. And this will become the ugly part of Mark Hurd’s legacy. This is one cat fight that Mark Hurd entered willingly and will reveal his true personality as a business leader and as an individual. And my guess is - his name will be toast.
