This is the remarkable, riveting story of Microchip. Transformed from a money-losing division of General Instrument, how it grew to be the $40 Billion valued public company leading the global market for microcontrollers. Learn how CEO Steve Sanghi developed technology and markets, engineered growth, mastered acquisitions, and achieved operating excellence. How he created nearly 20,000 jobs, and in crises, inspired the team to reduce salaries voluntarily–all with a powerful set of essential elements in his “Aggregate System.” Up And To The Right is required reading for innovators and leaders who would change the world.
“Up and to the right” is a befitting title for a book that is full of financial, culture and market share charts that are all going up and to the right. Steve shares his deep insights into the transformation, culture, growth, strategic planning, and acquisitions that propelled Microchip from a near bankruptcy in 1990 into a global semiconductor giant. I have watched Steve and his team for many years as they implemented their bold vision in taking Microchip from $70M revenue in 1990 to over $8 billion revenue this year.
Steve in his book “Up and to the right” does an amazing job in telling a story of how he hit a home run in his personal and business journey over the past multiple decades, not once but multiple times. Steve and Microchip falls in rarefied segment of companies and individuals that have delivered a stellar performance without fail, and this book brings the what and the how he did to get that impact. Having known Steve personally for more than two decades, his true personality and humility shows up in the book again and again, which makes this a personable read for both business leaders as well as new graduates of tomorrow.
An amazing life story! Steve’s life story, and that of his decades at Microchip, is one of incredible achievement. There are many lessons to be learned from Steve’s approach to managing a business in an uber competitive tech sector. It all starts with the leadership and unique approach Steve has applied and honed over decades at the helm. Few companies in the tech sector have managed over decades; what Microchip has achieved.
Behind the astounding numbers at Microchip are a set of Management processes, Principles, Values and Culture which enabled the team to achieve what it has. At the heart of this is Steve (Perhaps the Dalai Lama saw it). A life and Company story well worth reading.
In a world that often thinks of business as boring, cold, or faceless, Steve Sanghi’s “Up And To The Right” reminds us that it is anything but. He tells the improbable tale of a young boy from India who took control of a small company detailing the journey of its fight to reach the top of the highly competitive microcontroller market. Guiding the company through the bursting of the tech bubble and the global financial crisis, Steve gives us an inside view on what it really means to be a CEO and what it takes to be the best.
Steve Sanghi’s exceptional business acumen and fierce tenacity are on full display in his inspirational and instructional book “Up and To the Right”. Steve stands out in an industry that has more than its share of business visionaries, disruptive mavericks, and progressive technologists. He liberally shares why and how he embraced challenging business scenarios in his complete transformation of Microchip and inspires us to see beyond the difficult situation in front of us. He outlines how a combination of the Aggregate Growth methodology, rethinking everything from manufacturing efficiency to product strategy to a unique customer approach created a foundation for Microchip to become one of the most successful semiconductor companies in the world.
Anyone who is familiar with the Microchip story will know that Steve, and his many talented colleagues have created a great company with great customers. I see Steve Sanghi’s most profound contribution as more than the impressive business results. Steve is a builder of teams. He inspires people to do more than they might on their own, then to realize that none of us can do it alone, and then to build the lasting group relationships that create great results. Steve is a role model for many of us in all these regards, and certainly for me.
Steve Sanghi is a modern-day alchemist who spun his intellect, competitive spirit, courage, and exemplary ethics into Microchip gold. This book is a joyful must read for corporate leaders and entrepreneurs who aspire to drive their businesses “Up and to the Right”!
You can find many accounts of the incredible turnaround of Microchip, now a phenomenally successful semiconductor company with sustained performance in one of the most relevant and competitive industries in the world. More important, if you are fascinated by the process of how to navigate transformational change, then Sanghi’s Up and To the Right is must-read. Readers will gain insights spanning such issues as defining strategic approaches for growth, creating a global culture, responding in moments of crisis, and the secret to delighting your customers starting with the one question that will ensure you earn their business. In this recounting of his personal and business journey, Sanghi offers insights which will prove valuable to both business students and enterprise executives.
Steve shares his compelling story of coming to USA from India at 21 years of age with only $150 in his pocket. He proceeded to get a master’s degree here and then to build a juggernaut of a company in Microchip Technology that now has $43 Billion in market capitalization. This book is replete with great insights about business transformation, strategic planning, acquisitions, growth, succession planning, risk/rewards and managing through crises. Steve skillfully managed through it all and has created an enduring legacy.
Beginning with his auspicious encounter with the Dalai Lama when he was four years old, Steve Sanghi offers an inspiring account of his personal journey and the transformation of Microchip Technology Inc. into an innovative juggernaut under his exemplary leadership. By following a strategic planning process called the Aggregate System, Sanghi has guided what was a nearly bankrupt company to global leadership in the design and manufacture of microelectronic products and total system solutions that advance enterprises across all sectors of industry, as well as colleges and universities.
Steve’s determined application of his personal management recipe, made up of clearly communicated goals and a plan to reach them, the Aggregate System framework, a priority on customer value creation, and most importantly, accessible, and humble servant leadership, is a personal inspiration to me. Up And to The Right will undoubtedly motivate accomplished and aspiring leaders in any industry, revealing why Microchip’s sustained and repeated success is the outcome of unwavering and skilled leadership, and certainly no accident. As the chapters progress, Steve’s proven ability to identify and respond to market players and forces in a way that creates success for Microchip is striking and well worth a thorough read.
Up and to the right is a fitting title for the storied journey of Steve Sanghi and Microchip Technology. For anyone interested in finding “footprints in the snow” for building a successful and sustainable business, this down to earth book will provide lots of wisdom and rich content.
A must-read for all who are interested in how clarity of vision, values-driven decision-making, the nurturing of a people-centric business culture, and a holistic organizational approach to achieving results can generate unthinkable, regenerative, and sustainable value in one of the most disruptive-prone competitive global industries. This book provides vivid images, full of wisdom and actionable advice, gleaned from the meteoric rise of MICROCHIP under the remarkable servant-leadership of Steve Sanghi
‘Up And To The Right’ is an inspiring summary of what Steve and his team accomplished at Microchip in the 20+ years that I have known him. Steve has never been one to give up or accept mediocrity, and his book details how his vision, resilience and humility helped solidify Microchip as not just a great partner for distributors like Avnet, but a strong company with an excellent culture. We both agree that a good strategy tells you just as much about where not to focus as where to focus, and this shows in Steve’s clear vision for Microchip as well as his unwavering commitment to making it reality.
This is a compelling introspective about Steve’s personal and business journey, navigating Microchip through seemingly constant turbulent seas while relying on his Aggregate System as his North Star to achieve sustainable success, financial growth, and profitability. A brilliantly written inside look otherwise only accessible with an NDA; readers will surely find applications to their own personal or business journey in every chapter, and most every page.
Up And To The Right is a wonderful depiction of the history of Microchip Technology, including the way the company developed and the impact it has had on the semiconductor industry and the digital revolution. As a securities analyst at the time, I reviewed the company’s first business plan in 1990 and met Steve Sanghi soon thereafter. Despite that background, his book enabled me to learn many new things about Steve and the company he built from the ground up to become one of the most incredible semiconductor companies in the world. Up And To The Right is a great read for anyone serious about overcoming challenges, establishing, and driving a winning culture, and delivering superior results.
Knowing and working with Steve Sanghi has been, for me, an incredible treasure. Steve is a visionary, a leader, a mentor, and an inspiration. He is also the rare leader who cares deeply about people and shared success, and in that caring he inspires a culture where those around him create that success. “Up And To The Right” is a telling of that caring which inspired Microchip’s success, and which I and others can at best attempt to emulate. In Steve’s own words, serving Microchip’s employees has been the greatest honor of his life. As you read how Steve guided Microchip, I hope you also see how Steve elevated Microchip’s culture and its employees. To me, that is the mark of a true leader — the legacy footprints they leave behind. And I know Steve to truly be one of the greats!
This book epitomizes the opportunity United States presents to someone coming here with nothing and build an illustrious career here. Steve describes his story of coming to USA 46 years ago with $150 in his pocket and no back up and work his way to lead Microchip Technology into a $43 Billion market capitalization. The book describes how he accomplished it and left a lasting legacy.
“Up And To The Right” was a more than enjoyable read. It reminds every business leader of the importance of the organization’s values and how relentlessly working through the “Aggregate System,” or your own overarching management model will create value and continue to do so. The continued reference to employee engagement is top.
Up and To the Right provides true insight into the successes of Microchip Technology Inc through the 32-year personal and business journey of its founder and CEO, Steve Sanghi. This memoir of a remarkable and visionary leader is a must read for anyone interested in the history of the semiconductor industry.
From the early years of turnaround from bankruptcy to the growth strategies and positioning of the powerhouse company for the modern day, the book tells the story of a leader’s bold vision and relentless attention to excellence, system alignment, and developing and nurturing corporate culture and values.