By Brian Wolff
The world is littered with prime examples of companies that missed the boat or hunkered down and missed the wave. One of the most difficult things to do as a leader is to know when to stay on course or buck the trend and push in another direction.
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There are also stories about legendary leaders who handed the reins to the next leader and that business took off in a different direction, with success well beyond the imaginations of those left behind.
Lessons from business icons: growth through change
A transition like that occurred for Parking Today last year when Kevin Uhlenhaker took the wheel of Parking Today Media from legendary leader John Van Horn. The energy is already different, and you can see ways Kevin is honoring the past while forging ahead with new ideas. Much of that will be displayed this month when Parking Today Media’s Parking Industry Expo (PIE) 2025 kicks off in Schaumburg, Illinois.
As I thought about the change, I recalled several well-known examples of major businesses that thrived after a change in leadership. Most interesting to me, these leaders took their own path to success, using their personal styles and experiences to propel the good parts of their businesses to greatness.
For example, Microsoft under Satya Nadella: Nadella took over as chief executive officer (CEO) of Microsoft in 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer. Under Nadella's leadership, Microsoft shifted its focus from a traditional software company to cloud computing and artificial intelligence. He encouraged a culture of collaboration and openness, revitalizing Microsoft's growth and competitiveness in the technology industry.
Or General Electric (GE) under Jack Welch: Welch took over as CEO of GE in 1981 and implemented a strategy known as "Fix, Sell, or Close." He streamlined operations, sold off underperforming businesses, and fostered a culture of continuous improvement and accountability. Welch's leadership revitalized GE, making it one of the most valuable and admired companies globally during his tenure.
Embracing innovation: what IBM teaches us
My final example is, perhaps, the most appropriate, because I believe our industry is undergoing profound change akin to the changes Lou Gerstner catalyzed at IBM when he took the helm in 1993.
Gerstner became CEO when the company was facing financial turmoil and organizational inefficiencies. Gerstner's strategic decisions focused on customer needs and services rather than just products. His leadership transformed IBM into a services-oriented company, helping it recover and thrive in the competitive tech market. He also insisted that IBM was going to transform its technology to be open and interoperable so that IBM technology could integrate and connect to other technologies as easily as its own.
IBM became customer-focused and service-oriented in addition to losing the proprietary posture.
These traits have proven to be a successful formula repeatedly, one that I think can apply not only to Parking Today but to the industry as a whole.
I can already see Kevin’s push to “modernize” PT’s approach to take advantage of some of the new capabilities that digitalization
gives us.
I have no doubt that some of the vestiges of the old PIE won’t be present when we walk into the conference this month. We might feel nostalgic that they no longer exist, but they’ll be replaced with new, different, and better ways to promote parking as a vibrant industry worthy of respect and investment.
The Parking Today Podcast Network: a shared vision for growth
Let’s face it: we work in a very fragmented world, and for a long time that worked just fine. However, as technology continuously blurs the boundaries between the pieces, the winners will embrace interoperability and collaboration because rising tides raise all ships.
The podcast I host — "Harder Than It Looks: Parking Uncovered" — is looking forward to playing a part in one example of Kevin’s effort to bring seemingly competing entities together through the Parking Today Podcast Network. Together, the five parking podcasts that comprise the network hope to raise listenership and thereby the individual missions of all the podcasters, giving each podcast a slice of a bigger pie.
I believe this new thinking and energy will propel Parking Today Media to new heights. It will help raise the collective tide of parking and take us all to better places by providing an invigorated venue and organization to meet, collaborate, and collectively improve the parking experience.
I look forward to PIE 2025 and participating in all the new initiatives driven by a new leader with new ideas. PIE 2025 also happens to be the official start of conference season for the parking industry, an exciting time to shrug off the cold of winter and welcome the sprouts of new possibilities with spring. Join me
in saluting the past but welcoming the promise of a new beginning for Parking Today and Parking Today Media.
BRIAN WOLFF is the president & CEO of Parker Technology. He can be reached at brian.wolff@parkertechnology.com or visit www.parkertechnology.com.
