Telecommunications
Man of action
How Bob Dutkowsky used a new game plan to turn Tech Data’s $97 million loss into a $124 million gain
By Brian Horn
Smart Business Tampa Bay | May 2009
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When Bob Dutkowsky arrived at Tech Data Corp. as CEO in October 2006, he was joining a company that lost $97 million in fiscal 2007.
But he didn’t see a company that was in shambles. Instead, he saw an organization with plenty of potential.
“The fundamentals of the company were very strong,” Dutkowsky says of the technology products distributor. “The core capacities of the company were very strong, but I think the company — we just kind of lost our way in some regards.”
His solution wasn’t a new vision for the $24 billion company; it was a new game plan.
“I’m not a big fan of a vision,” he says. “I’m much more of a fan of a game plan or a strategy. I think visions are nice, but people can’t necessarily see how they can contribute to the success of a vision. It’s too nebulous versus the game plan.”
The game plan centered around three things: to acutely focus on execution, to figure out how to diversify the business into other areas where the company could add value and to use innovation as a way to differentiate themselves in the market.
“We have to sell and deliver $70 million of products every day as a company,” he says. “Our average order size is under $1,000 so you can see how crucial execution is. We have to bite that $70 million apple in little small chunks repeatedly over and over and over again to be successful as a company.”
To get the game plan to work, Dutkowsky didn’t have to change what the company did. He had to identify the people in management that could help him implement it and empower employees to execute it.
