• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • An Insider’s Look Back At The IBM

    September 12, 2011 Jenny Thomas

    It would be a safe assumption to assume that anyone who had worked for one company for 30 years might have some insights and opinions to share about that employer. During his three decades at IBM, Peter Greulich worked in administration, worldwide sales, marketing, and technical roles in Software Group. That gave him an insider’s view on what makes Big Blue tick and time to develop some strong opinions on why it continues to thrive.

    Greulich holds IBM up as a company that should be studied and admired for its ability to weather multiple recessions and the constant change of technology. He believes the reason IBM has survived and thrived for a century can all be traced back to its founder Thomas J. Watson, Sr. To make his case, Greulich’s recently published a book, The World’s Greatest Salesman: An IBM Caretaker’s Perspective, Looking Back, to document Watson’s leadership.

    “I started on this journey after 30 years as an IBM employee to understand Tom Watson, Sr.,” Greulich said. “I knew his words that founded ‘The IBM,’ as he called it, would be timeless words of wisdom applicable to any business or government agency and under any economic conditions. Now every person can read and experience his words and use them as a touchstone to judge today’s leaders.”

    The story begins the day after Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929. Greulich examines Watson’s leadership, compassion, and understanding of the economic struggles facing his country, his company, and his employees. Excerpts from Watson’s speeches, writings, presentations, and interview materials tell the story, which takes readers through Christmas of 1933, when the Great Depression had just passed its deepest economic trough and industrial production was on the rise. Greulich chronicles how Watson was able to navigate his company through these difficult social and economic waters where others failed.

    Retired IBMer Peter Greulich’s book examines the leadership of Big Blue founder Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

    In a press release, Greulich is described as maintaining the same enthusiasm and dedication for IBM from the day he was hired until he retired in March 2011.

    “Although today I am focused on management training and leadership discussions,” Greulich said via email, “the AS/400 and the customer set that surrounded that product will always be a large part of who I am. I can still sit at a table, hear that someone there has an iSeries/System i, and we can talk for hours. There is a kinship there between AS/400 SE and AS/400 customer just like there was in IBM.”

    Greulich said he hopes his book causes readers to think about the condition of businesses today. “I have wondered what kind of company used to inspire that emotional tie between customer and business,” he said. “I believe this book sets the stage for such a discussion. I hope we can have it as a society. We need it. The IT industry as a whole needs this discussion.”

    For more information aboutThe World’s Greatest Salesman: An IBM Caretaker’s Perspective, Looking Back, visit Greulich’s Website. The book is available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and the Google ebookstore.

    RELATED STORIES

    You’re Only As Old As The Programs You Run With

    IBM at 100: Let the (Psycho) Analysis Begin



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    New Generation Software

    FREE Webinar:

    Creating Great Data for Enterprise AI

    Enterprise AI relies on many data sources and types, but every AI project needs a data quality, governance, and security plan.

    Wherever and however you want to analyze your data, adopting modern ETL and BI software like NGS-IQ is a great way to support your effort.

    Webinar: June 26, 2025

    RSVP today.

    www.ngsi.com – 800-824-1220

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Admin Alert: Starting Multiple PC5250 Sessions in a Batch File IBM Patches ‘Apache Killer’ DOS Vulnerability in IBM i

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 20, Number 30 -- September 12, 2011
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

BCD
PowerTech
Cosyn
Computer Keyes
VAULT400

Table of Contents

  • Appreciation Rising for Web Serving on IBM i
  • Aussies And Kiwis Get Killer Power 720 Bundle
  • Second Quarter Server Sales Humming Right Along
  • As I See It: Going Silent
  • A Big Data Hungry IBM Buys i2 and Algorithmics
  • Reader Feedback On As I See It: Piling On
  • IBM Ponies Up $1 Billion In Cost Busters Financing For SMBs
  • Tape Consortium Makes The Case For Tape Storage
  • An Insider’s Look Back At The IBM
  • IBM Gives More Freebie Slices On SmartCloud Service

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Big Blue Raises IBM i License Transfer Fees, Other Prices
  • Keep The IBM i Youth Movement Going With More Training, Better Tools
  • Remain Begins Migrating DevOps Tools To VS Code
  • IBM Readies LTO-10 Tape Drives And Libraries
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 23
  • SEU’s Fate, An IBM i V8, And The Odds Of A Power13
  • Tandberg Bankruptcy Leaves A Hole In IBM Power Storage
  • RPG Code Generation And The Agentic Future Of IBM i
  • A Bunch Of IBM i-Power Systems Things To Be Aware Of
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Numbers 21 And 22

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle