Andy Grove

TEACHER OR STUDENT? Andy Grove switches roles readily

It’s not common for any CEO to stand before an audience and say, “I don’t know what to do. What do you think?” It’s even less common for the CEO to listen to the response and take them seriously. But Andy Grove has never lost track of the truth: that Intel has always been one wrong answer away from disaster – and that a closed mind is a trap door to the abyss.

At Intel he fostered a culture in which “knowledge power” would trump “position power.” Anyone could challenge anyone else’s idea, so long as it was about the idea and not the person – and so long as you were ready for the demand “Prove it.”

During Andy Grove’s 11-year tenure as CEO, Intel grew at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 30 percent. What made such extraordinary growth possible under his leadership was his continuing ability to adapt to shifting realities. When reality has changed, he has found the will to let go and embrace the new. Andy Grove is the greatest student and teacher of business.

As the chairman and former CEO of Intel, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer, Andy Grove has been a brilliant business strategist. Harvard professor Richard S. Tedlow says, "Intel's legendary chief Andy Grove is the best model we have for leading a business in the 21st century."