As the bankers circled, Johnson remained transfixed by his stock price. It was like a scab at which he constantly picked. Most chief executives wouldn’t have bothered; many companies live with low stock prices all their lives, and almost no chief executive thinks Wall Street gives his stock its due. RJR Nabisco’s directors weren’t concerned. Profits were up; sales, too. But Johnson couldn’t leave well enough alone. The old urges to action were returning, and the stock price was simply their latest manifestation.
