David Farr looked down at the empty parking lot and blew up. It was March 20, a cloudy day with a chill in the air. The coronavirus and lockdowns were grinding the U.S. economy to a halt, sending much of the American workforce home, including most of those at the Ferguson, Mo., headquarters of Emerson Electric Co.
Mr. Farr, who had run the industrial conglomerate for two decades, wasn’t going anywhere. He told his assistant to summon the other eight members of the OCE—the Office of the Chief Executive.
“We have a company to run,” he growled, his voice echoing through the empty sixth floor.
Mr. Farr wasn’t naive. The virus had torn through China and Europe, disrupting Emerson’s operations. It was just a matter of time before it spread in the U.S.
But World War II wasn’t won by hiding, he liked to tell people, and generals can’t lead their armies from the bunker. He expected employees to be present, and he wasn’t going to run the company from his home office.
