In 1943, Thomas Watson Jr. paused his career for WW II, but his mindset established the foundation for IBM’s tech empire | – The Times of India

During the 1940s, Thomas Watson Jr. had not yet achieved the status of a business legend who would go on to help turn IBM into an industry powerhouse. Instead, he was a young executive getting to grips with the world of business in an organisation that was struggling through the period of uncertainty at the height of World War II.As documented by Brown University Portrait Collection, Thomas Watson Jr. graduated from Brown in 1937, joined IBM, fought in World War II and returned to work for IBM before going on to become the president and chairman of the company. What does this tell us? This is the fact that Watson Jr. became a great leader despite the turbulent times in which he did it.There are many reasons why IBM continued to be successful, and historians and researchers attribute much of its success to IBM’s flexibility. Thomas Watson Jr. understood this, and his…