The leadership miracle inside IBM
IBM in 1980 was a giant. A fortress of blue suits and red tape.
Hierarchy ruled, structure suffocated.
Yet, from within these rigid walls, a revolution began. A small team in Boca Raton, Florida—outsiders in their own company.
They called themselves the 'dirty dozen.'
Twelve engineers. Well, thirteen actually.
Thirteen rebels.
Tasked with a mission that seemed impossible: build IBM’s first personal computer.
At the helm sat Don Estridge,
a different kind of leader.
Not ousted out of IBM for his unusual methods,
but exiled to a remote Florida office.
This leader cared about people over processes.
Believed in balance when others pushed for burnout.
While the rest of IBM drowned in rules, Estridge gave his team freedom.
No suits, no bureaucracy. Jeans and t-shirts. Autonomy.
Space to breathe, space to think.
They worked hard, but they lived too.
This wasn’t the IBM way, but it was Estridge’s way.
Kids’ sports games and recitals took priority over meetings
And Estridge personally made sure nobody was working late.
Against all odds,
within a year, they did it.
The IBM 5150. The first IBM PC.
A computer not for companies, but for people.
A machine that fit on a desk, not a data center.
It changed everything. IBM wasn’t just mainframes anymore.
They were now at the forefront of a new era.
But success has its costs.
The 'dirty dozen' couldn’t remain hidden.
Their success brought attention,
and attention brought control.
IBM’s machine swallowed them up.
The rebels became part of the system.
No longer the rogue team in Boca Raton.
And much to the dismay of that original team,
no system was available to give them a reward for their hard work
even worse
executives who at first wanted nothing to do with the project,
started claiming they were part of the founding team.
So as a reward, Estridge did something simple.
He rewarded each member of the founding team with a red rosette
proudly worn to signal their membership of this elite team.
A quiet not to their rebellion.
And their rebellion leading to the success of IBM
This story serves as a reminder that,
even in the largest organizations,
innovation can come from the bottom up.
From leaders who trust their people.
Leaders who care about balance.
Inside IBM, they created a miracle.
Not because of hierarchy, but despite it.
