Shouldn't we Give the New CEO a Chance?

[hnguyen]

It's been about a day that Heins has taken the position and people are already writing him off. The majority of all these people are uneducated keyboard warriors that doesn't know anything about anything.

People are writing him off when he said "RIM doesn't need a drastic change right now." And now they are saying he's a big mistake and that a "Big Shake up" is needed.

What RIM is doing right within the past year or so is nothing but making a big shake up.

They are making QNX the future platform of RIM.
They are streamlining their resources (Lay offs)
And now they have a new CEO and new board members.

Jim and Mike realize their currently leadership style isn't making a big impact, so they move Heins up. RIM is a very innovative company and the old co CEOs don't have what it (ability to lead) takes to compete in today's market. Look at what they have and where they are right now:

BBM
BBM Music
BB Traffic and Maps (Imagine if they combine the two, killer app)
BES
BIS
QNX
BB Bridge
Awesome keyboards
75+ million customers
Security
There are a ton more that I can't think of right now


The real issue is execution with their products and bringing them to market. And Heins has reiterated that it is something he's good at, and it is something he will focus on. The playbook is a fantastic device that has a ton of potential. With 2.0 coming out soon, the only thing missing is the apps, but with all the DEVCON events that shortcoming will be addressed. Again, with the right execution the PB would have been seen in a much different light.

RIM already has the resources and tools they need to be #1 again they just got it put it in an awesome package.

[vrs626]

RIM already has the resources and tools they need to be #1 again they just got it put it in an awesome package.

RIM's going to be #1 again? Keep drinking that kool aid.

[anthogag]

Great post OP. I like the new CEO

[lnichols]

I totally agree. What do people expect him to say. "Our new products available now are behind the competition, but I'm going to change that". BB7's poor sales in the US would be hurt further. He has to "fix" things behind the scenes while still selling what they make now. BB7 has gotten a bad rap anyway. It is a great OS and very efficient. Web browsing on it is great, it plays music just as good as an iPod can IMHO, and it still multitasks better than iOS does. Only thing missing is apps, and I'm finding that more and more sites are implementing great mobile versions. I think that BB10 should shoot RIM past the competition's capabilities and hopefully maintain RIM's efficiency advantage. From the videos I saw he knows what the biggest issues is (must hit deadlines with quality finished products, i.e. don't write checks with your mouth Jim that your can't cash!). Change was needed and hopefully Mike and Jim will truly step back and do board duties and not try to micromanage and influence the work that needs to be done. They built a solid company, but the smartphone market and competition changed and they weren't equipped to guide the company through change quickly. Hopefully new management will be able to identify and address issues when they need to, and not two to three years late.

[ridemaster]

I could not agree more with the thread title..

some people are simply not properly informed

[D_March]

I agree OP. The plan is in place and that plan is a completely different OS. They just need to execute.

[sleepngbear]

I agree with this as far as the real issue currently facing RIM: execution. I think they have overcome the previous major stumble, that being their refusal to recognize the impending threats to their market dominance at the time. Without question these efforts should have been underway sooner, but they weren't, and replacing leadership with Jesus Himself can't change that. That being said, I think they are now on the right course, but an infusion of fresh leadership is needed for the best chances of flawlessly executing the present course.

There are a couple of reasons Heins is under the scrutiny he is. First, some analysts feel that the present course isn't enough to reverse RIM's slump. There are many who believe RIM is too far behind to catch up on their own now, and their only hope is licensing of the BBOS or QNX to other manufacturers, total divestiture of hardware operations, or a complete acquisition by a bigger fish. I don't agree that any of these are their only hope, although I do see merits in the OS licensing option.

Second, Heins is an existing exec with the company, and as such the perception is that he's part of the old guard and not a fresh enough change, especially when he says he doesn't see a need for radical change in the company. My own opinion, as I stated above, is that the company is finally doing the right things, and I think that a radical change at this time would be wasteful and counterproductive.

At least give the guy a chance to make some improvements internally and see how well he can guide the company to deliver on it's immediate objectives: wringing all it can out of the existing OS7 devices, delivering Tablet OS2, getting the first BB10 devices out the door, and fostering an environment that will support a strong app ecosystem for those devices. It's all less than a year away, with opportunities for measurable gains within the next few months. Any significant deviation from that won't bear results for at least another year.

[hnguyen]

Originally Posted by vrs626

RIM's going to be #1 again? Keep drinking that kool aid.

I never said they will. It's that they have what it takes to do it again.

[Ynomrah]

I'm gonna make this very simple why I don't see this change as anything to excite over

Here's a quote: " we are a great innovative company, but sometimes we innovate too much while building a product"....

Lol Wtf are you kidding me?

Also a few more: " if we continue to do well what we're doing, I see no problems with us being in the top three players worldwide in the next years in wireless"... -- oh really now? Because what was being done these last years was such great progress, right?

" at the very core of RIM is the innovation. We always think ahead. We always think forward. We sometimes think the unthinkable. And that is fantastic." --....

I think his words speak for themselves. No wonder their stock dropped. I mean honestly where is this change in direction guys are raving about? This seems to me like this is the same attitude we have dealing with. You HAVE to admit to a problem BEFORE resolution can begin!

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

[BergerKing]

Wouldn't the 'Seem to know-it-all' detractors be better off seeking employment with RIM rather than passing mass gas from their *x*?

Initial impressions vary, of course, but some folks gotta get down on someone, often with little or no clue as to what is really going on.

If the haters were so smart, they'd be in charge of things, and we'd really be hosed.

Here's to a new day. If it doesn't pan out, we'll know soon enough.

[Oniberry]

I don't think it is the new CEO that everyone is complaining about. It's the fact he has worked at RIM for the past 5 years and was formerly their COO. The dynamic duo are sticking pretty close to him and RIM, and that coupled with his comments about staying the course and all that other crap about how nothing really needs to change at RIM is the problem that people sort of have. I hope he is just talking out of his arse, but if the relationship between Heins and the former ceos remain this close, how can he hope to change anything in the organization?

[rmjones101]

IMHO, discounting the typical bashing you'll see from anybody that will kneejerk a jab at RIM, I'm still a bit leery about the changes.

What I can't discount are a few points...

• Heins, in a nutshell, has always been in Mike and Jim's pocket. I don't see this changing anytime soon.
• In the announcement, Mike and Jim try to make it appear as if it was their idea to step down. When they've been adamantly against the notion for quite some time. Obviously this could be construed as them being allowed to save face so to speak, but only time will tell.
• When management is changed in any company, it is rarely a good idea to have those stepping down to continue in anything resembling a management/decision making role. In this case, it appears there's simply been changes of title, but influences still remain.

I think what most interested parties are concerned about is whether this is just a move to alter the surface, to keep investors and shareholders happy. With time quickly running out for the deadline given Mike and Jim a few months ago, was this a gamble to buy more time hoping everything they've been trying to accomplish the last year finally pays off? Perhaps. However I'll reserve judgement until a year from now when actions will have spoken louder than words.

[1magine]

Not even worth responding to the mindless cheer leaders. No sense. TBut I have 2 minutes to kill - so - the guy who brought us the Tour, the Storm, the decision to announce upon the launch of BB7 devices that they would not support BBX (what it was called then) that would launch within the year (again, at that time) allowed the BB Maps to go undeveloped for 4+ years, even while developing BB Traffic. Yes - Imagine them together! Why not put them together in the first place? WHY? Who's decision was that? - - the COO of product development. And with a landslide drop in stock price, market share, public perception, BES licensing etc... The new CEO does not follow the tried and true leadership position of admitting openly themistakes, apologizing and indicating what will be done to fix the problem - think Tylenol, Firestone/Goodyear...

Saying everything is fine, and no changesbut marketing are forthcoming was a mistake. But feel free to call those who point that out idiots. I've been listening to Blackberry users for the last 4 years call for the same changes that tech sites and shareholders have been calling for for the last 12 months. And for the last 4 years I've heard the *oronic rants of ignorant jackabillies (this is not directed at any single individual) sing the refrain that everything is just fine and such and such device works just fine for them. My only hope is that those who feel that everything is great and RIM has now turned the corner, today begins to invest all their disposable income in RIMM shares.

[Snipperdo17]

to all the people complaining about his comments, this guy was not about to start bashing the company that he just became CEO of. Obviously he is going to say they are in a good position and not much change is needed and they are heading in the right direction. He's not going to come out and say the company is a mess and in shambles, even if he thinks there is a ton he needs to change. I agree people are idiots

[JohnEnglish]

Of course RIM is going to say that this was all Jim and Mike's idea. They're letting them save face and giving them a way out. This is the way things are usually done in the corporate world. Companies usually present a united front to the public regardless of what's going on behind the scenes.