What if...

Jeebus.

I wanted to take some time off from the blog after a horrific winter storm that blew me off my axis a bit and a work environment that was starting to make slave labor sound like a better career option because I felt I was getting a bit too bitter and a bit too off-focus.

Time off was unfortunately spent watching some drivel telly show with Sir Lloyd-Webber and listening to depressing webcasts from Wall Street.

And I was thus sharply reminded why I started this bloody blog in the first place.

Microsoft's management sucks and blows.

Mr. Ballmer's most recent performance has had him pilloried in the public echo chamber because of the net result of his twaddlings, but if we keep the eye on the ball closely, we see that the stock drop is symptomatic, not systemic. Symptomatic of leadership and management's inability to capitalize on the labors and thoughts of tens of thousands of smart employees and billions of dollars of capital.

The regular town criers all have the same thing to say: it's time for Mr. Ballmer to exit.

Since everyone always talks about the weather but doesn't do anything about it, here's my butterfly wing flap: three people who could be Microsoft's next CEO. All battle-scarred turnaround executives, each brings something to the table.

A.G. Lafley of Procter & Gamble. Look at the quote that is attributed to this guy and what he's been able to effect with a multi-brand company. Just say "Microsoft", "brand" and "customers" in the same sentence to somebody and see how far their eyes roll up into their head. This is the guy to untangle Live and focus the factory back towards software that people want to use.

Anne Mulcahy of Xerox. She's a lifer there, but understands the engineering culture and can obviously hold her own with the misogynistic sub-culture that high-tech can sometimes breed like staph in a Pioneer Square toilet. Her keywords are "communication" and "listening". What if Microsoft had a CEO that not only listened to the employees but also knew how to act with that information?

Steven Reinemund of PepsiCo. At first blush, this comes across as a bit of a John Scully-like choice until you drill down a bit. (Though the synchronicity of this choice might presage Bill G. coming back to Microsoft...) Again, we have a global brands person who has kept a sharp eye on the bottom line.

Taking over the top job at Microsoft would be daunting. It is still profitable, still has a huge market share and still has growth momentum. It's not your ordinary turnaround gig. Might it be that the board has secret thoughts of dumping the current team, but just can't put their finger on anyone that could step up? Are we in a devil you know vs. the devil you don't situation?

Is there anyone else you think might be up to the task?

And in the "Since nobody asked" vein, couldn't you see Lafley as CEO of Platform, Products and Services, Mulcahy as CEO of Business, and Reinemund as CEO of Entertainment and Devices, all spun out as separate operating companies?

A serf can dream.