Now, The Hard Part

He was interested less in HP Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina's undeniable charisma as a leader than he was in whether I think she has surrounded herself with a smart management team.

\

HEATHER CLANCY

Can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

I must admit that HP's executive lineup has been a source of heated discussion internally at CRN for many months. And from the buzz at HP's Americas Partner Conference, it's clear the debate hasn't been confined to our staff. Certainly, the public introduction last week of Kevin Gilroy as leader of HP's combined channels organization in the Americas was greeted with optimism. Many solution providers say they are willing to give him a grace period to prove himself after he officially assumes his new title on May 1, but Gilroy is tackling several tasks immediately, such as pulling the trigger on an overhauled partner operations initiative that improves things such as rebate reimbursement and lending an ear to HP enterprise partners in a bid to accelerate growth in that segment.

I don't doubt that Gilroy or his worldwide counterpart Jim McDonnell will inject considerable energy and commitment into HP's unified partner organization. But it will take much more than these two well-respected men and their respective teams to restore harmony. It will take the support of their managers,and both men report to more than one other person up the food chain. Just as important, it will require a lot more mutual trust between partners and HP's field-sales personnel.

For now, I caution HP solution partners against thinking their every wish will be granted. The conference attendee who revealed on-stage during a comedy routine last week that her fondest wish was HP would not sell direct is kidding herself. HP will require from its partners what Gilroy describes as "mutual economic empathy," or the understanding that any programmatic decision must be in both HP's and its channel's interest. Here's hoping Gilroy gets the internal backing that he will need to keep that promise.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post

HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, reserves the right to change her mind. Contact her via e-mail at [email protected].