He claims his passion for music coupled with his love for electronics since he was a kid helped him excel at running Gibson. He strongly emphasized that true success is best accomplished with passionate leadership.
A while later he was informed that Gibson Guitar Corp was for sale, but no one would buy it because it was a financial disaster. He moved to the Kansas to live near the company headquarters and observed the operation for a full 6 months while drawing up a concrete business plan. Once he purchased it, the company became profitable within 30 days because of his hard work and research. Since 1987 he has grown the business 20% every year.
Some of the main pieces of advice he gave were:
- Have the tenacity and boldness to do things others won't.
- What's possible is only what you think is possible. He said he wanted to grow the company to impossible levels. He has now far exceeded everyone's expectations.
- Only allow people in your company who believe in your vision. If they don't believe in the company, they must go.
- Constantly grow and innovate.
- Give back to the community that helped build you.
Of course I had to get a picture with him. I actually brought my own guitar I've had for over 10 years to the speech to take a picture with:
The pictures came out....interesting. He covered the head of my guitar in both pictures because it wasn't a Gibson!
LOL, you had the balls to bring a Tex-Mex Strat to Henry J? You didn't ask him to sign it, did you?
ReplyDeleteGreat post, as usual.
haha, awesome. I like how he blocked the head.
ReplyDeleteIs...and correct me if I'm wrong....is that STRING on your guitar strap!?
ReplyDeleteBringing an old guitar with string on the strap to jam with the CEO of Gibson....now that's true frugality!
This's really funny the Strat trick!
ReplyDeleteRegards from France.
Great post, Nev. Funny pic. It's interesting the extent to which the CEO went to cover the name of a competitor. Shows how important branding is.
ReplyDeleteThe CEO obvisouly doesn't want a photo luring around with a competitor's brand name visible, but any guitar person can regognize a Strat...
ReplyDeleteIt's just plain disrespectful. You think he enjoyed taking the picture if he was trying to cover the guitar head?
ReplyDeleteIt would be like showing up to see Bill Gates speak and pulling out your iBook and wearing a I Love APPLE T-Shirt..and trying to get a picture with him.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are thinking too hard about this one. It's like driving up to Bill Ford III in a Chevy truck, or meeting Metallica in your Voivod shirt, or putting Aunt Jemima syrup on your Country Fresh pancakes ... who cares! I suspect those offended also never wear their Nike sneakers with Champion socks ... lighten up. It's ballsy what he did, but also kind of funny.
ReplyDeleteFunny how? More like disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteNev: The King of having his picture taken with successful CEO's.
Haha, that is hilarious that he covered it up. I can understand it, but that doesn't make it less funny.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been more funny if you had hidden the headstock of your Strat a lot further inside Juszkiewicz. (The Photoshop altered copy of the pic I made for myself proves this point. LOL!)
ReplyDeleteThere is no way you could disrespect this man any more than he has already disrespected his own industry, and the hardworking engineers he's stolen from. Read this article and learn the Truth:
http://stephengoldin.com/gibson/technohick01.html
Be careful of the businessmen you might meet on your way to being rich. The music industry would be better off without small-minded, greedy thieves like Juszkiewicz. Be good and make a lot of honest money.
Bringing a strat to the man....yeah! Funny thing is, and he probably wouldn't admit it, but he probably owns one or two!
ReplyDeleteIf you want a gibson, go to http://guitar.edoodoo.com/guitar-gibson.html
ReplyDelete