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According to the headline in the Wall Street Journal (October 26, 1999), Gregory Slayton (MBA '90) is a "Silicon Valley Hybrid: A Boss Who Makes Others' Ideas Pay Off." Slayton, president and CEO of ClickAction, Inc., an Internet marketing-services company, is credited with reviving the slumping firm (formerly MySoftware, Inc.). Since coming on board in 1997, Slayton has cut costs and sharpened strategy at the company. But perhaps his most significant impact has been rallying the firm's demoralized employees, largely through the force of his energy and enthusiasm. He also reinvigorated the work force by making them shareholders in the company. "If you own something," Slayton told the Journal, "you take better care of it. Whenever I take over at a company, I make everyone a significant shareholder."
Prior to HBS, Slayton spent seven years in Asia and Africa running an orphanage and a drought-relief operation, among other activities. "I'm the only CEO who flew a bush plane and rode camels for work," he said. After contracting acute viral hepatitis in 1987, he returned to the United States and enrolled at HBS. There followed stints at McKinsey, Paramount Studios, and two small Silicon Valley companies before his accession to his current post.
Slayton sees himself as an "implementer" of other people's good ideas; his value, he believes, lies in his drive to make things happen, willingness to make decisions when information is limited, and ability to forge trusting relationships. He's drawn to situations where he believes those traits can be utilized. "I always look for opportunities where there's a vacuum that my particular skills can fill," Slayton said.
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