When Helen Greiner was just 11, she went to see the movie "Star Wars" and fell madly in love with one of the film's characters. But it wasn't Luke Skywalker. And it wasn't Han Solo.
It was R2-D2, the quirky robot with attitude.
"He had a personality and was more than just a machine," said Greiner. "Since then, I've wanted to build robots that were more than machines."
Has she ever. Greiner ultimately co-founded iRobot back in 1990, serving as chairman and president for more than 18 years. Under her watch, the company sold millions of Roomba Vacuum robots, which have become cultural icons and changed the way many folks clean their homes. About two years ago, the 54-year-old was named CEO of privately held Tertill. The comany's Tertill Weeding Robot also is changing how people weed their gardens.
Along the way, she's made a bundle. It's no accident that in early August, Amazon.com purchased iRobot for $1.7 billion. Much of that's due to Greiner's work. While Greiner was president and chairman, iRobot grew from no revenue to more than $300 million in sales. Since she was appointed CEO of Tertill in 2020, the company's revenue has increased more than three times year-over-year up to 2021.
Behind it all is a visionary who leads with smarts, savvy and, yes, an assertiveness that is sometimes smile-worthy.
Innovate Like Helen Greiner
Way back in the mid-1990s, Greiner was in a meeting where iRobot CEO and co-founder Colin Angle discussed a new business idea with the rest of iRobot's executive team. The group's conversation about whether or not to pursue it went on for a while. Wheels just spun.
That's when the matter was suddenly decided, not just by Angle, but also by Greiner. Greiner made a statement that very clearly showed she realized the most senior executives had to step in to make a decision and move on, recalls Joe Jones, the chief technology officer who helped invent Roomba.
"Hey, this isn't a democracy," Jones recalls Greiner saying.
Jones says the young group was more accustomed to doing academic research projects where everyone endlessly chimes in their opinions and no individual takes full responsibility for making a decision. But a successful business has to operate differently, he says. And it was Greiner who recognized that first. Listen — then decide.
Greiner: Prioritize Listening
Greiner has never stopped listening. In fact, listening is her No. 1 piece of advice for great leaders. "The best ideas can come from any member of the team," she said. "Many times in my life, I haven't listened to certain people — much to my regret."
For example, way back in 2000 someone suggested that she create an internet-connected robot. The internet was still in its infancy. While she got the capital for it and even got it to the design-build stage, it never happened. "I was told the world wasn't ready for an avatar," she says. Then again, maybe it was.
A true leader needs to know when to stop listening and take action. "A great leader has to make the decisions that will motivate people in the same direction," she said.
Bounce Back On The Job
Great leaders also learn from — and bounce back from — their toughest days on the job, she says. She certainly remembers hers back in 1994, when she was frantically building robots under contract. One particular robot had to be delivered by a specific date or the amount the customer paid for it would decline each day. The night before the robot was due — and it was almost complete — the robot literally burst into flames at 2 a.m.
"My two business partners and I went out to Burger King at 2 a.m. and discussed how to build it again," she said.
At the same time, a great leader has special insights into what makes us all human. For example, Greiner totally gets why so many folks who purchase Roomba or Tertill robots tend to name them — kind of like pets.
So it should be no surprise that more than a few folks have named their gardening robot Yertil the Tertill.
Her own Tertill happens to be named Tilley. And, yes, Greiner does love to garden — and was an avid gardener long before Tertill came along.
Celebrate Your Wins
To be sure, Greiner says she's probably proudest of the PackBot military robots that she's helped to create. These specialized robots have been credited by the U.S. Army with saving the lives of potentially hundreds of soldiers and thousands of civilians.
Greiner vividly remembers visiting with one Marine who credited the PackBot with not only saving his life but the lives of his entire team. His nickname for that robot: Skooby Doo.
Even then, she says, there are lots of robots she's still just itching to create. Perhaps one to fold laundry. Maybe one to stack and unload dishes from the dishwasher. And, of course, one to wash windows.
The very best robots are those that totally change the paradigm, she says. For example, the Tertill robots not only pull weeds but can prevent new weeds from growing.
Perhaps it is Greiner's personal passion for her product — and those who buy it — that makes her a special kind of leader. Few know that better than Barbara Shea, who is the chief marketing officer at Tertill and has seen Greiner in action.
One of Greiner's older friends — whose garden was overtaken by weeds — recently purchased a Tertill at Greiner's advice. But this friend didn't realize that Tertill has to initially be placed in a weed-free garden to start. That's when Greiner sprang into action, says Shea.
She drove two hours to her friend's house, weeded the entire garden for her, set up the metal guards around her young plants, and put in the Tertill. "Now that's service," said Shea, "when the CEO of the company comes to your house, weeds your garden, and sets up a robot."
Love What You Do
Of course, this service isn't promised to every new customer. But Greiner's passion for the product is genuine.
She truly believes that the robots her companies have created — whether used to vacuum rooms or weed gardens — have helped to make the world a better place. They give folks time to devote to more creative or important ambitions. She hopes that, someday, a Tertill version will also be available to weed lawns so that people won't have to use chemicals to kill weeds.
In the meantime, she says, great leaders need to make time for having fun. She's tried everything from wakeboarding to kiteboarding to kayaking, and says that she is always looking for an adventurous reset.
And it's critical to squeeze in those moments of self-care when the opportunity presents itself. As soon as her 7-year-old, Jasmine, heads off to school, Greiner often takes that opportunity to indulge in a short run or a quick morning kayak break.
Find New Ways To Learn
Back when she was 11, she remembers her father first brought home a personal computer — which was supposed to be for himself. "The computer soon became mine because I was the only one who had the patience for it," she said.
Soon, she was programming computer games.
A successful career, Greiner says, is all about combining your personal interests and the things that you're very good at with the needs of the world. That's exactly what she's done.
Through the years, ever since she fell head-over-heels for R2-D2, her robots have helped folks spend less time doing the things they don't want to do and more time doing the things they do want to do.
May the Force be with her.
Helen Greiner's Keys
- Co-founder and first president of iRobot, maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. Now CEO of privately held Tertill, which makes gardening robots.
- Overcame: Technical challenges of making an affordable, useful and easy-to-use vacuum robot.
- Lesson: "A great leader has to make the decisions that will motivate people in the same direction."
