Watson Thomas (Sr.) (Thomas Watson Sr)

Watson Thomas (Sr.) (Thomas Watson Sr)

Thomas Watson is the first CEO of IBM company. Was born on February 17, 1874 in the State of New York, in the USA. Died on June 19, 1956 in the USA.

Biography

Thomas J. Watson (Thomas John Watson, Sr.) was born in 1874 in the rural Area of State of New York in family of descendants of the Scottish emigrants who were parishioners of Methodist church. Having missed with the first formation and the choice of specialty (teaching did not inspire the young man at all), Watson began a labor activity as the direct-sales representative, and unexpectedly and forever found himself in trade. He was very persistent businessman, and this quality very much helped afterwards it with business.

Watson joined business still being a teenager, being engaged in traveling trade of a piano and sewing machines. Watson worked as the teacher (the truth, only one day!), accountant, direct-sales representative, seller of bodies, piano and cash registers. He was constantly pursued by failures, he did not gather additionally profit, he was obskakivat by competitors. Somehow time Watson got drunk on pleasures in saloon after the successful transaction, was disconnected and next morning found out that not only the cart with a horse, but also all stock of sewing machines in which he traded those years was gone. The employer not just dismissed Watson and forced to pay the cost of the lost goods, but also accompanied it with the wolf ticket which did not allow the unlucky businessman to find more than a year decent work even in the next states.

Thomas Watson stoically transferred adversities, leaving indisputable notches in memory: let's tell, from a misadventure with Wheeler and Wilcox sewing machines well-known "Prohibition" of IBM by which employees were tied not only in working time, but also behind gate of the company was born.

Over the years uncountable cones and life experience turned Thomas Watson into one of the greatest sellers of America.

NCR

In 1896 Watson found a haven in National Cash Register, the company selling cash registers. After several difficult years spent in campaigns on the American remote place he was inexpressibly glad to a position of the seller of cash registers in NCR company. Here he quickly achieved success and attracted attention the head of firm who made him in the 1911th the assistant. In four years future father of corporate culture of IBM became the best sales agent of NCR receiving inconceivable 35% of commission charges of transactions.

In 1908 Thomas Watson headed the NCR project, unique on an innovation, for extrusion of competitors. The company ensured monopoly on sale of new cash registers for a long time, however competitors is disturbing delayed on themselves a solid part of profit at the expense of secondary market. Watson created allegedly independent workshops in which repaired in the different cities of America and resold cash registers almost for nothing. Taking off one by one from business, competitors were perplexed: why Watson himself is not ruined at the prices impossible in every respect?! Poor fellows did not know that devil dumping to Watson was provided by secret financing of NCR which is clearing away hands of the secret employee a way to final monopoly.

The innovation project, unfortunately, had a sad end: Uncle Sam saw violation of the whole bouquet of articles of civil and criminal codes in activity of fictitious companies of Thomas Watson and NCR, arranged show trial and sentenced the best seller of America to a year of imprisonment. Watson, certainly, gave on the appeal, and thanks to influence and communications of the head of NCR John Patterson (passing on court too, but in time justified because of generous philanthropy in nation-wide scale) case was dropped, and then closed at all.

CTR

Charles Flint admitted Thomas Watson to IBM with open arms and once again did not lose. Having worked in C-T-R corporation of 11 months, Watson in May, 1914 became its president. The yesterday's seller of cash registers easily switched to tabulators not familiar to it, right there sold out all non-core branches of business, consolidated all regional divisions of CTR and in four years doubled the profit of the company (!), having extended its activity to Europe, South America, Asia and Australia.

IBM

On February 14, 1924, fully realizing new scales and perspectives of the business entrusted it, Thomas Watson renamed CTR into International Business of the Machine, International Business Machines, IBM.

In the next four decades Watson holding a post of the CEO of IBM corporation became this icon of the American business. It introduced privileges usual now for workers for the first time: paid leaves and collective insurance, maintained discipline and loyalty at several generations of employees of IBM.

IBM is in many respects obliged to Watson by the success - he implemented a number of managerial innovations and created special corporate culture which became a peculiar standard for the firms which faced problems in business management. Various sales methods and the strategy of use of human resources evolved from the system of quoting of sales, the incentive plan, special clubs of the company and other actions which motivated the workers. By the end of World War II IBM had annual profit in the amount of $140 million and became a world standard of the successful enterprise, the leader in the industry.

Thomas J. Watson died on June 19, 1956, behind his shoulders there were 41 years of management of one of the most successful companies of all times.

Important facts

Thomas Watson, was a great admirer of Hitler and in 1937 even received awards from the German authorities^[1].

Family

Since 1913 Thomas J. Watson is married to Janet Kitredzh; to the eldest son, Thomas, he will transfer company management in six weeks prior to the death.

Notes