End of an Era
Having worked at Sapient for almost 9 years, it came as an unsettling surprise to have neither Jerry nor Stuart at the helm. I could not imagine a Jerry-less or Stuart-less Sapient. I was saddened when Stuart announced earlier this summer that he was stepping down from the co-CEO role, with Jerry remaining as the CEO. At least Stuart was going to remain as co-Chairman on the board, I though. With today’s announcement that Jerry has resigned from the company – as CEO and also from the board, and that Stuart is stepping down as the board Chairman, I feel we are being put to the Built to Last test.
When I joined the company, Sapient gave me a copy of “Built to Last” by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. One of the things that Jerry and Stuart (and Alan Herrick) have repeated often from this book is that surviving/flourishing through a change of leadership is one of the key tests of a company that is built to last. Without that, the company may have been surviving on the abilities or charisma of the founder/leader of the company. Although I did not expect us to be put to this test so soon, we had to be at some time. If I were asked yesterday who would make the best CEO at Sapient if Jerry and Stuart were not in the running, within Sapient or externally, I would definitely have picked Alan Herrick as the person to lead us. I personally think he will also do a fantastic job. I am delighted to learn that this was part of our CEO succession plan laid out more than a year ago.
It has been quite a time for Jerry and Stuart, starting Sapient, being on the billionaire’s list, Sapient becoming part of S&P 500, the bursting of the bubble, and the remarkable recovery. And still in their early forties! The sense of loss I feel at their departure is as if I have lost some close friends. I will miss Jerry and Stuart.
