Interlude - Index of

174 | Grown-Up Company
from? Where are we going? Mostly I want to keep NetApp
headed in the right direction and make sure it is a healthy place
for people to work. After three or four years, we completed
almost all the goals in our first Future History, so I wrote a second
one. I recently met Gary Hamel and read his book, The
Future of Management, about companies that reinvent the way
they are run, and that’s got me thinking about how NetApp
should change. In addition, Dan and Tom are both about ten
years older than me, and we need to ensure a smooth transition
as they retire and the next generation of leaders takes
over. There is plenty of work for a chief philosophy officer.
I am happier without so many people reporting to me. I
don’t like being the boss of people; I’d rather figure out what
ought to happen and then convince people from the side. Here’s
a personal preference that I can’t explain: in a medieval kingdom,
I’d rather be the king’s trusted and influential adviser than
be the king himself. However, I don’t regret my time running
engineering. Without the experience of managing large budgets
and many people, I wouldn’t be qualified for my current role in
a company our size. That was a valuable era for me.
Perhaps this willingness to keep reevaluating my personal
role is what has allowed me to remain at NetApp—contributing
positively, I like to think—long after most founders give
up or are fired.
Sometimes people ask me, “What does it feel like to have
built such a large company?” My response is that I didn’t build
it. It was more like planting a seed. Suppose you planted an
acorn, and then twenty years later you have a large oak tree.
How would you feel if someone asked, “What did it feel like
to build that tree?” Sure, you planted it, maybe watered it and