Virtual Executive Presence

"through global communications systems, checking in from Alaska or South Africa or wherever his interests happened to carry him. What did it matter whether the phone he used was in Seattle or Turkey? His spirit could be felt without his physical presence. Like ancient humans, McCaw would be the nomad, a living illus- tration of his vision of work in the information age. Writing a new page for the Harvard Business School casebook, he would become what some termed the virtual executive."

"To Craig McCaw, going public in 1987 did not mean he had to go public. The plan was to raise $2.3 billion from a stock offering, plus another $400 million from bonds sold to investors—giant gulps of gas to help the McCaw organization move faster, pay off some debt, and grab still more cellular territories. It would have helped for McCaw to wave the company flag in public at such a crucial time. But he chose not to make the traditional appearances before analysts and other Wall Street groups, claiming he wasn't good at orchestrated events. Instead, Wayne Perry led the McCaw team on the road show to London, Boston, New York, and elsewhere. What might have seemed a liability—a chief executive seemingly missing in action—ultimately proved an advantage. McCaw in person was certainly a business vision- ary. But McCaw as the mysterious figure whose absence embodied his unusual style, whose thinking was so lofty that doing a road show would be a needless distraction . . . now, that was a real visionary."

"This represented a pivotal time for Craig McCaw both as a person and as a businessman. The sale of his company had triggered a profound self-reassessment. Without McCaw Cellular commanding his attention, he was now forced to see what remained in his life. The man who built back doors into every business deal had formed no strategy for life after McCaw Cellular. So now, thinking it over, he decided to reinvent himself. A tycoon who already spent a considerable amount of time away from his busi- nesses decided he wanted—more freedom. McCaw decided to recast himself. He would shed some old habits even his black-caterpillar mustache of many years would get the razor and inject himself only where his presence was truly critical. He would skip board meetings of his own companies and monitor his deputies"