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Technology Stocks : Novell (NOVL) dirt cheap, good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Paul Fiondella who wrote (37813)	3/3/2002 11:57:17 PM
From: Scott C. Lemon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

Hello Paul, > You really should take the time to understand that the > problem at Novell has always been incompetent management. Although I might be inclined to agree, I would suggest that there is a distinction of "leadership" versus "management" that has to be looked at. I believe that it is effective leadership that has been lacking at Novell. There are plenty of people "managing" what is going on there ... > From the very time when they decided they couldn't > compete with Microsoft for end user attention through to > the failure to bring in someone other than a Nelson > roommate to run up his career with digitalme. All of this originates from the source ... the leadership that is generated at the top. > They never listened to you Scott and you never understood > why. They strung you along honey. I disagree, and understand completely why you would like this to be true. In fact, they did listen to me when I was effective at communicating opportunities to the management of Novell. When they did not listen, it was due to my own inability to communicate opportunities to them in a way that made a difference. I was often unable to communicate a possibility to their listening ... > You still don't seem to understand the bad management you > functioned under. I understand completely that I was working in an environment that had a management team. And it was my accountability, and a responsibility that I took on, to make a difference at Novell. I know that this management is simply a variation of most other management teams ... > I really feel sorry for you that you spent your whole > career at Novell and never had the opportunity to compare > management at different companies through your first hand > working experience. I'm sorry, but you have your "facts" quite confused here. I have actually worked for numerous companies in my career, and continue to. I worked for two other computer manufacturers prior to Novell, not including the time in the Westinghouse engineering labs just out of high-school. I have been on the management teams of two other start-ups as a founding member, one of which was successfully sold off just prior to the Internet craze. I have had my own software consulting companies twice now, and have recently started my third. Although I have been in the computer industry for a relatively long time, my time at Novell has been less than half of that. > To see you suck up to Nelson in desperation was vvery > disappointing. TO see you praise his style of management > was even worse. And you did internalize these bad > management habits. Again, you seem to have a story which does not align with the facts. There was no "suck up" that has gone on. In my position I made it a point to communicate with all of the executives of Novell as much as possible. In my opinion, it is only in communication and conversations that creation occurs. Your knowledge of the situation is extremely limited, and your focus on my interaction with Stewart only exists due to your insistence on blaming this one person for issues created by the entire management team of Novell ... up to the Board of Directors. In addition, there is no "praise" of his management style, however I admit that I do have a strong dislike for your thoughts on "management style". You seem to confuse my dislike of your methodologies and practices for an endorsement of anothers. This, IMHO, is key to your misunderstanding and misrepresentation. > To blame Eric when he pushed forward a whole set of > internet initiatives and to excuse Nelson for failure to > execute on any strategy other than self-aggrandizement is > bizarre behavior. Deprogram yourself. I want to understand the "Paul Fiondella School of Business Management." I almost want to create a web site that outlines your "practices" and "beliefs" of how effective management occurs. Are you saying that "Rule #1" is that if Chris Stone fails to do anything different at Novell, then we do not hold Chris to account, but rather "blame" the people under him? Are you saying that people in the top leadership positions in the company do not have any accountability? Wow ... this is a whole new management model that you are proposing. I'm not sure that it is not going to do too well, IMHO, since the top executives can always say "Well ... the guys that I had working for me just didn't do their jobs ... it wasn't my responsibility!" Amazing ... and you seem to suggest that I am "programmed" with something unrealistic? I am looking to hold people accountable ... all the way to the top ... for what they have committed to be in the matter. And if they do not want the responsibility, then I simply ask that they step aside ... > Perhaps you will step back from your involvement with the > good ole boys and liberate yourself from the box they put > you in? I'm sorry ... but I have no "involvement" to step back from. I am simply expressing my analysis and input on the matters ... my first hand experience is what guides me ... not arm-chair quarterbacking from the sidelines. > In any case I think this back and forth discussion has > played itself out and isn't of interest to Novell > investors anymore. It is so wonderful of you to think of others on this thread. What confuses me is why you insist on involving me in your diatribes and rants if you feel that this isn't of interest? I've been very straight about what I am up to here ... I will continue to address each and every post that you choose to post that includes, or alludes to, me in any way shape or form. I will address each point of misinformation in those posts, and play a fun little game of tit-for-tat. It seems that we both have time to waste on it ... I don't mind at all ... I enjoy the fan mail that I get about my posts. ;-) > After all Nelson is history. Thank God! And I believe you > are working for some company other than Novell? And we > Novl investors have what we wanted --- a promise of > management change from Stone. I am actually working closely with Novell on several fronts ... and several other companies. I will continue to do so where it makes sense to me, and where I see opportunity. > If he delivers the stock will trade at 7 plus. What would you see as the real requirements for this to occur? And what time frame do you see this occurring in? Scott C. Lemon