Off-Line - People - Interview

Telecommunications, June, 2000 by Michael Birck

President and CEO

Tellabs

From Dog 'n' Suds fast food clerk to Bell Labs' technical staffer to founder of Tellabs, chairman and CEO Michael Birck has played a key role in advancing an exciting and challenging industry for more than a quarter century. It wasn't fear of failure, but worry over partial success that concerned him when founding Tellabs 25 years ago. "My biggest concern was...existing in a state of near limbo, surviving, but just above the subsistence level," he said. "Hard work and a little luck prevented that from happening."

Birck advises fellow telecom execs to "get accustomed to change everywhere in the industry and rev up the engines because everything must happen faster than ever now--and it isn't likely to change anytime soon.

"We are in a crazy time," he continued, referring to the astonishing number of IPOs lately, "especially in technology areas. It is an unstable situation, but it will play itself out, and lots of good ideas will survive. Companies need more than one good product or service, however. Many start-ups are based on a get-rich-quick mentality."

Birck holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a master's in electrical engineering from New York University. Purdue awarded him an honorary doctorate of engineering in 1995. He recently received the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the next five years Birck forsees "globalization of the industry beyond anything we have seen yet."

* What do you look for in key executives?

* Integrity, intelligence and energy are the most important. Then comes leadership. Industry experience can be important, but without the first three, nothing else really matters.

* What is your best marketing tool?

* Trade shows and direct contact with customers.

* If you could do anything in your life over again, what might that be?

* I'd be more involved with our kids as they were growing up. With work and travel, I missed a lot. I'm realizing that as I watch our grandchildren grow.

* What gadget, device or service not yet invented would you most like to see come into existence?

* Anticipatory collision avoidance systems for cars, perhaps using GPS technology.

* Other than your company's technology, what do you consider the coolest telecom technology out there?

* Optical routing, though I'm not sure it's really out there yet.

* Where do you want to be in 25 years?

* Alive, healthy and swinging a golf club.

* What book are you reading or have just finished reading?

* I recently finished The Last Man on the Moon by Gene Carman.

* What person, living or dead, would you most like to join for dinner?

* Gen. George S. Patton. He was a committed, dedicated leader with some obvious flaws. A discussion with him about leadership and strategy would be fascinating. I'd like to hear his views on the current state of the world and our role as the lone superpower.

* What is the speed of your home Internet connection and which medium do you use?

* 56 kbps, but it averages about 38 kbps. My computer is connected to a second (copper) telephone line.