Root: You got me wrong on this one. My message to Solms would be, don't say anything, unless you have it locked down, dead away and in the bag.
If a CEO says something outside the official CCs about something that is allegedly going to happen, then he should explain it, outside the official CCs if it doesn't happen. Pretty simple.
You state the $3.6M PP is what caused the SP to decline. I partially agree with you. But why did we need a PP? Because Solms was unable to deliver on the sales he thought he could bring in.
No I don't want Solms to use his mouth to fix anything. I want him to either quit making public goals with timelines, or if he does, either hit the goals, or explain why they were missed. Isn't that the fair thing to do?
I think, unconsciously, you may be making excuses for the failures on all of Solms's publicly stated goals. He was the one who set the goals--shouldn't he also be the one to explain if Wave falls short?
Do you think what he did--sending out a cowardly message via David Collins that Wave will need another six months to gain traction is acceptable? That came outside the official CCs and if true, is a pretty big change in expectations for Wave. That, after all the big statements he made about seeing signs of a 2014 turnaround, Bell-ID (August), standby for big announcements? Does any of that strike you as being accountable?
I'm guessing you do. Let me be clear. I do not.
Setting unrealistic goals and missing them was the hallmark of the SKS-led Wave. No explanations were provided under SKS, either. So, why is Solms following this broken and disgraced model?
Lastly, you ask if I think it is a good idea for the CEO to make public statements...to rationalize delays? No, a better way is to either keep quiet, or hit your targets. If you miss, be a man and tell us why.
And please check out the definition of rationalize: "attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true or appropriate."
Wiki says rationalization is also known as making excuses. I don't think that was what you meant to say.
I have already speculated on what I think are the reasons for Wave missing every single one of Solms's stated "goals." I think the truth is Wave's products are the crapware they have been labeled and if he told the truth, it would kill Wave.
That's why I think he's in hiding. He had all these lines in the water and not a single bite. I think he was stunned by the nothingness his new sales team gathered after re-focusing, and re-jiggering the product.
You, on the other hand seem to be OK with constantly expanding timelines (sound familiar?) and no results. It appears you are OK with missing goals with no explanations. I'm not. And not that you need reminding, that is how we got here in the first place--tolerating missed timelines and no results. That is exactly what got SKS fired.
I was hoping for both a different approach and better results under Solms.
Best wishes--Blue
