Crazy man

Richard Notebaert was right. People did think he was crazy for taking the job at Qwest. And they also were right. He was crazy.

The same was said of Michael Capellas. And they were right, too.

Who in their properly engineered frame of mind would walk into the nightmares that were Qwest or WorldCom? What sort of man voluntarily puts himself through such an ordeal? What kind of person risks an exemplary career by associating himself with companies of such ill repute?

A crazy person, that's who. What sort of crazy person? The megalomaniac comes to mind. Megalomaniacs have an unreasonable enthusiasm for great or grandiose performances. And it doesn't get more grandiose than trying to rescue Qwest and WorldCom.

There's only one problem with this diagnosis. These men aren't megalomaniacs. Yes, both took on grand challenges, but they took on challenges that — while no doubt exhausting, frustrating, disheartening at times and nearly overwhelming — were challenges that couldn't be lost, no matter the outcome. Call that crazy? Yes, crazy like a fox.

What besides fatigue could possibly be the downside to following Joe Nacchio and Bernie Ebbers on stage? Even modest success would be welcomed by investors, employees and vendors alike. These guys may be egoists, but necessarily so. And the upside to ego is that it doesn't allow these guys to settle for modest success. It allowed them to believe that if anyone could turn these companies around, they could.

Capellas built his reputation through his work at Schlumberger, Oracle and SAP and solidified it with his turnaround of Compaq Computer. Did he risk that reputation by accepting the challenge of WorldCom? Not as much as his ex-cohort Carly Fiorina risked hers by maneuvering to head the far more reputable and historic HP. Capellas, by most measures, was a success at WorldCom/MCI. He'll forever be known for the biggest rescue in telecom. And Fiorina? The long view of history will determine her legacy.

Notebaert made his rep leading various elements of what became known as Ameritech and got his first taste of a turnaround when he took over Tellabs. Did he risk his reputation by going to Qwest? Not as much as fellow telecom exec Rick Roscitt did by accepting, then reneging, on the job as WorldCom chief operating officer. Notebaert has done wonders since taking charge of Qwest. He still has a long way to go. However, he has just about everyone but Cox Communications rooting for him, and he has won an important battle in giving Qwest employees back their pride and, according to Carol Wilson's story on page 64, soon their profitability.

Crazy? Only if he stays too long.