ìImagine A Corporation Run By The Meanest Kids From High School...î
At Enron, "the ones who were able to claw, cheat, or charm their way to the top of the class, as long as it was a relatively average class," were the people in power. Marianne Lavelle reviews Enron whistleblower Sherron Watkinsí tale of "a company too obsessed with maintaining its cool style to actually get around to running a business of substance." Hereís more:

"For all its talk of 'Enron smart,' the company never attracted the cream of the crop from the Ivy Leagues; its business was too obscure, and located in Houston, of all places. Instead, it drew its talent from a peculiar pool of Midwestern overachievers. It was important, in this bunch, to run with the right clique (the traders, not the asset managers). Competition was brutal, not only over deals, but over 'deal toys,' obscenely expensive crystal knickknacks purchased from Neiman Marcus to commemorate such triumphs. Grown executives would hyperventilate over the pressure to stage the best skit at a company dinner. In his heyday, Skilling once ruminated over a new motto for Enron, 'the world's coolest company.'"