Gene A. Abbott, CEO
Overview
Abbott and Associates, Inc.
A good leader makes sure he is surrounded by the right people.
Daniel P. Amos, CEO
Overview
AFLAC
Treat your employees well.
William Bonner, President
Overview
Agora
Focus on the work itself.
Niranjan Ajwani, CEO
Overview
Ajwani Group of Companies
For me a great leader is an enabler and a facilitator.
David T. Mclaughlin, Chairman
Overview
American Red Cross
Focus on the two or three issues that will effect the future of the enterprise.
A.J. Wasserstein, CEO
Overview
ArchivesOne, Inc.
Never let any relationship, internal or external, go stale or unmanaged.
Chip Perry, President and CEO
Overview
AutoTrader.com
Challenge the status quo.
Roy Vallee, CEO
Overview
Avnet, Inc.
Work hard to ensure your employees are successful in their careers and they, in turn, will work hard to ensure your company's success.
Daniel Biederman, President
Overview
Bryant Park Restoration Corp./34th Street Partnership
Reexamine absolutely every piece of conventional wisdom that comes across your path.
William H. Goodwin, Jr., CEO
Overview
CCA Industries
Make good, simple, honest, and ethical decisions.
James M. Anderson, President
Overview
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Be nimble in pursuing opportunity.
Matt Rubel, CEO
Overview
Cole Haan
Ask for their best thinking and then really listen.
Joseph Deitch, CEO
Overview
Commonwealth Financial Network
The primary role of the leader is to do just that—to lead.
Sanjay Kumar, Chairman and CEO
Overview
Computer Associates International, Inc.
A leader must be able to make change happen.
Archie W. Dunham, Chairman
Overview
ConocoPhillips
Focus. You cannot go everywhere and do everything if you expect to perform well.
William G. Crutchfield, Jr., CEO
Overview
Crutchfield Corp.
The fundamental role of a successful leader is to achieve alignment.
Much is written about executives' roles in aligning their teams around corporate strategy and tactics
Unfortunately, too little is written or taught about the alignment of values and the creation of strong organizational cultures. The most powerful leadership technique that I know is identifying, inculcating, and managing an organizational culture.
Leaders must possess the right set of core values and must be able to align everyone in their organizations around those values.
But what values should a leader embrace?
From my experience, I find that truly successful leaders possess values that are centered on responsibly serving the best interests of customers, employees, business partners and stakeholders over the long run.
Another tough issue is how one balances the best interests of these various constituents. It is a very difficult balancing act. If you 'give away the store' to delight your customers, you obviously are not acting in the best interest of the stakeholders.
On the other hand, if you are not genuinely sensitive to your customers' needs, you will never gain their loyalty. If you view your employees and business partners as overhead that needs to be minimized for the benefit of the stakeholders, you may miss a great opportunity.
When treated with respect, and when the appropriate human and financial resources are invested, they become tremendous assets to an organization. And, if you concentrate too much on maximizing the wealth of senior management, you can ruin the business. The financial mania of the late 1990s lured many executives into making self-serving decisions that ended up hurting all of their constituents—customers, employees, business partners, and, ironically, themselves.
How can one align people around ones' values? Bill says, "The obvious first step is to live them fully. A leader must be the embodiment of the organization's core values.
The next step is to communicate those values constantly. A leader must be an evangelist for inculcating the organization's core values. Then, you must ensure that the organization has management systems that maintain these values.
When the business was much smaller, it embodied my beliefs—caring for customers, respecting employees, working closely with our business partners, and striving for perfection. However, what I saw now in the company was a culture out of phase with my beliefs.
The salespeople cared more about their commission checks than about the welfare of our customers. Our warehouse had become so bureaucratic that it was taking several days to ship an order instead of 24 hours. Our customer service people viewed their role more to protect management from angry customers than to find solutions to our customers' problems.
I realized that employees were not respecting each other to the degree that they once had. Morale was bad, turnover was high and cooperation was poor. The design of the catalogs had slipped. The product copy lacked excitement. Our catalog merchandising was confused. Packages weren't well packed. Our sales and technical advisors were inadequately trained. Our store was not neat or well merchandised. Basically, the culture of the company had slowly and insidiously evolved into something very different than what it had been only a few years before.
I firmly believe that any organization, in order to survive and achieve success, must have a sound set of beliefs on which it premises all its policies and actions. Next, I believe that the most important factor in corporate success is faithful adherence to those beliefs. And, finally, I believe that if an organization is to meet the challenges of a changing world, it must be prepared to change everything about itself except those beliefs as it moves through corporate life.
Over the past twenty years, the wording has evolved into the following:
1. Exceed our customers' expectations by providing a truly exceptional level of integrity, courtesy, service, and helpful information
2. Maintain a passion for continuous improvement through commitments to excellence, productive change and innovation
3. Respect each of our coworkers and provide a work environment that promotes dignity, team harmony, and personal satisfaction.
4. Respect our business partners and maintain mutually rewarding relationships with vendors who demonstrate high professional standards.
The beliefs were attractively printed and given to each employee. In group meetings, I briefed everyone on exactly what they meant and how our employees were expected to adhere to them. Finally, I created the systems that inculcated them into our company's culture and ensured their adherence.
I made the first item on our employee review form, 'Adherence to our Basic Beliefs.' Top management then started an extensive review process. Depending on how they complied with the basic beliefs, employees were retained in their current positions, promoted, demoted and, in a few cases, terminated. Very quickly, everyone got the message.
Almost overnight, the company started to change. Employees cared more about our customers. They worked much more closely with their fellow employees. They gained respect for our business partners. And, they started to show a genuine commitment to excellence in the performance of their jobs.
Sales started to grow again. The company quickly returned to profitability. Within a year, we were achieving results that exceeded our wildest expectations.
S. Michael Joseph, CEO
Overview
DACOR Distinctive Appliances
Orient your company to a higher purpose.
"What is my most powerful leadership secret? To orient my company to a higher purpose and to be consistent in following our moral compass,
The Value Statement reads:
To Honor God in All That We Do . . .
By respecting others
By doing good work
By helping others
By forgiving others
By giving thanks
By celebrating our lives
I believe that when we respect and help one another, we are able to recognize the talent throughout the organization. When we practice forgiveness and give thanks to one another, we open and improve communication. When we deliver innovative and high-quality products, we do good work. When our business behavior is driven by these values, everyone benefits, and we have many reasons to celebrate our lives.
In the context of the rest of the world, bringing spiritual values into the daily workplace is considered a bold step.
There are many tangible examples of how we put the Value Statement into action.
Profits are shared with our associates.
Each associate is a stockholder through our Employee Stock Ownership Program.
Our products are innovative—many industry firsts to our credit.
Our product warranty is most generous in industry.
We have a proactive customer service department.
We have a free employee assistance program: a 24 hour help hotline.
Each new associate is personally welcomed by me.
Each associate receives a birthday card from me each year (a small gesture, but significant).
We say Grace at our associate luncheons and close with a benediction.
The Value Statement is shown on the Web page, business cards, offices, and showrooms.
We strive for consistent communication through such things as our OnValue newsletter.
Charitable work is encouraged through our community outreach department.
Gratefully, our associates demonstrate their support of what we do in many ways:
Less than 10 percent attrition rate
96.6 percent acceptance of the Value Statement in a recent anonymous survey
High productivity—our sales per employee is 77 percent higher than the industry median
Operating income per employee and market value per employee among the highest in the industry
Introducing the Value Statement has truly had a transformative effect throughout the company, and it has taken everyone to make it work.
Mike's advice for becoming a better leader is to, "create an environment where your employees can do their best work. If you do, they will do extraordinary things. Also, one must have a mindset that he is primarily responsible for the welfare of the people he leads.
Other ways to become a better leader are to:
Understand that education is a continuous process—be open to new ideas.
Have a willingness to show your humanity.
Exhibit and engender trust—trust God, trust yourself, and trust others.
Encourage people to take risks.
Be consistent with the journey you are on.
To be a better leader, one must be the kind of person others can trust. That means, consistency, humility, integrity. It means unfailing honesty with people. Treat them as what they are—creations of God.
To be better leaders, we need to respect the people that we are privileged to lead. It is the principle of servant leadership.
I also believe it is important to decide to develop a different kind of company, connect with people on a different level, and be perceived as a different company in the marketplace and by your employees.
Terdema Ussery, President and CEO
Overview
Dallas Mavericks
Have a vision and translate that vision to everybody in the organization with passion and conviction.
Salvador Diaz-Verson, Jr., President
Overview
Diaz-Verson Capital Investments, LLC (DVC)
Conduct your business with honorable intentions.
Mark Dimassimo, CEO
Overview
Dimassimo Brand Advertising
Ask questions.
Peter A.J. Gardiner, CEO
Overview
Zindart, Ltd.
Perform or Go.
For more Information
* Motivation. Influence. Persuasion. Leadership Training and Development, Strategic Leadership, Leadership Books. *
Overview
Abbott and Associates, Inc.
A good leader makes sure he is surrounded by the right people.
Daniel P. Amos, CEO
Overview
AFLAC
Treat your employees well.
William Bonner, President
Overview
Agora
Focus on the work itself.
Niranjan Ajwani, CEO
Overview
Ajwani Group of Companies
For me a great leader is an enabler and a facilitator.
David T. Mclaughlin, Chairman
Overview
American Red Cross
Focus on the two or three issues that will effect the future of the enterprise.
A.J. Wasserstein, CEO
Overview
ArchivesOne, Inc.
Never let any relationship, internal or external, go stale or unmanaged.
Chip Perry, President and CEO
Overview
AutoTrader.com
Challenge the status quo.
Roy Vallee, CEO
Overview
Avnet, Inc.
Work hard to ensure your employees are successful in their careers and they, in turn, will work hard to ensure your company's success.
Daniel Biederman, President
Overview
Bryant Park Restoration Corp./34th Street Partnership
Reexamine absolutely every piece of conventional wisdom that comes across your path.
William H. Goodwin, Jr., CEO
Overview
CCA Industries
Make good, simple, honest, and ethical decisions.
James M. Anderson, President
Overview
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Be nimble in pursuing opportunity.
Matt Rubel, CEO
Overview
Cole Haan
Ask for their best thinking and then really listen.
Joseph Deitch, CEO
Overview
Commonwealth Financial Network
The primary role of the leader is to do just that—to lead.
Sanjay Kumar, Chairman and CEO
Overview
Computer Associates International, Inc.
A leader must be able to make change happen.
Archie W. Dunham, Chairman
Overview
ConocoPhillips
Focus. You cannot go everywhere and do everything if you expect to perform well.
William G. Crutchfield, Jr., CEO
Overview
Crutchfield Corp.
The fundamental role of a successful leader is to achieve alignment.
Much is written about executives' roles in aligning their teams around corporate strategy and tactics
Unfortunately, too little is written or taught about the alignment of values and the creation of strong organizational cultures. The most powerful leadership technique that I know is identifying, inculcating, and managing an organizational culture.
Leaders must possess the right set of core values and must be able to align everyone in their organizations around those values.
But what values should a leader embrace?
From my experience, I find that truly successful leaders possess values that are centered on responsibly serving the best interests of customers, employees, business partners and stakeholders over the long run.
Another tough issue is how one balances the best interests of these various constituents. It is a very difficult balancing act. If you 'give away the store' to delight your customers, you obviously are not acting in the best interest of the stakeholders.
On the other hand, if you are not genuinely sensitive to your customers' needs, you will never gain their loyalty. If you view your employees and business partners as overhead that needs to be minimized for the benefit of the stakeholders, you may miss a great opportunity.
When treated with respect, and when the appropriate human and financial resources are invested, they become tremendous assets to an organization. And, if you concentrate too much on maximizing the wealth of senior management, you can ruin the business. The financial mania of the late 1990s lured many executives into making self-serving decisions that ended up hurting all of their constituents—customers, employees, business partners, and, ironically, themselves.
How can one align people around ones' values? Bill says, "The obvious first step is to live them fully. A leader must be the embodiment of the organization's core values.
The next step is to communicate those values constantly. A leader must be an evangelist for inculcating the organization's core values. Then, you must ensure that the organization has management systems that maintain these values.
When the business was much smaller, it embodied my beliefs—caring for customers, respecting employees, working closely with our business partners, and striving for perfection. However, what I saw now in the company was a culture out of phase with my beliefs.
The salespeople cared more about their commission checks than about the welfare of our customers. Our warehouse had become so bureaucratic that it was taking several days to ship an order instead of 24 hours. Our customer service people viewed their role more to protect management from angry customers than to find solutions to our customers' problems.
I realized that employees were not respecting each other to the degree that they once had. Morale was bad, turnover was high and cooperation was poor. The design of the catalogs had slipped. The product copy lacked excitement. Our catalog merchandising was confused. Packages weren't well packed. Our sales and technical advisors were inadequately trained. Our store was not neat or well merchandised. Basically, the culture of the company had slowly and insidiously evolved into something very different than what it had been only a few years before.
I firmly believe that any organization, in order to survive and achieve success, must have a sound set of beliefs on which it premises all its policies and actions. Next, I believe that the most important factor in corporate success is faithful adherence to those beliefs. And, finally, I believe that if an organization is to meet the challenges of a changing world, it must be prepared to change everything about itself except those beliefs as it moves through corporate life.
Over the past twenty years, the wording has evolved into the following:
1. Exceed our customers' expectations by providing a truly exceptional level of integrity, courtesy, service, and helpful information
2. Maintain a passion for continuous improvement through commitments to excellence, productive change and innovation
3. Respect each of our coworkers and provide a work environment that promotes dignity, team harmony, and personal satisfaction.
4. Respect our business partners and maintain mutually rewarding relationships with vendors who demonstrate high professional standards.
The beliefs were attractively printed and given to each employee. In group meetings, I briefed everyone on exactly what they meant and how our employees were expected to adhere to them. Finally, I created the systems that inculcated them into our company's culture and ensured their adherence.
I made the first item on our employee review form, 'Adherence to our Basic Beliefs.' Top management then started an extensive review process. Depending on how they complied with the basic beliefs, employees were retained in their current positions, promoted, demoted and, in a few cases, terminated. Very quickly, everyone got the message.
Almost overnight, the company started to change. Employees cared more about our customers. They worked much more closely with their fellow employees. They gained respect for our business partners. And, they started to show a genuine commitment to excellence in the performance of their jobs.
Sales started to grow again. The company quickly returned to profitability. Within a year, we were achieving results that exceeded our wildest expectations.
S. Michael Joseph, CEO
Overview
DACOR Distinctive Appliances
Orient your company to a higher purpose.
"What is my most powerful leadership secret? To orient my company to a higher purpose and to be consistent in following our moral compass,
The Value Statement reads:
To Honor God in All That We Do . . .
By respecting others
By doing good work
By helping others
By forgiving others
By giving thanks
By celebrating our lives
I believe that when we respect and help one another, we are able to recognize the talent throughout the organization. When we practice forgiveness and give thanks to one another, we open and improve communication. When we deliver innovative and high-quality products, we do good work. When our business behavior is driven by these values, everyone benefits, and we have many reasons to celebrate our lives.
In the context of the rest of the world, bringing spiritual values into the daily workplace is considered a bold step.
There are many tangible examples of how we put the Value Statement into action.
Profits are shared with our associates.
Each associate is a stockholder through our Employee Stock Ownership Program.
Our products are innovative—many industry firsts to our credit.
Our product warranty is most generous in industry.
We have a proactive customer service department.
We have a free employee assistance program: a 24 hour help hotline.
Each new associate is personally welcomed by me.
Each associate receives a birthday card from me each year (a small gesture, but significant).
We say Grace at our associate luncheons and close with a benediction.
The Value Statement is shown on the Web page, business cards, offices, and showrooms.
We strive for consistent communication through such things as our OnValue newsletter.
Charitable work is encouraged through our community outreach department.
Gratefully, our associates demonstrate their support of what we do in many ways:
Less than 10 percent attrition rate
96.6 percent acceptance of the Value Statement in a recent anonymous survey
High productivity—our sales per employee is 77 percent higher than the industry median
Operating income per employee and market value per employee among the highest in the industry
Introducing the Value Statement has truly had a transformative effect throughout the company, and it has taken everyone to make it work.
Mike's advice for becoming a better leader is to, "create an environment where your employees can do their best work. If you do, they will do extraordinary things. Also, one must have a mindset that he is primarily responsible for the welfare of the people he leads.
Other ways to become a better leader are to:
Understand that education is a continuous process—be open to new ideas.
Have a willingness to show your humanity.
Exhibit and engender trust—trust God, trust yourself, and trust others.
Encourage people to take risks.
Be consistent with the journey you are on.
To be a better leader, one must be the kind of person others can trust. That means, consistency, humility, integrity. It means unfailing honesty with people. Treat them as what they are—creations of God.
To be better leaders, we need to respect the people that we are privileged to lead. It is the principle of servant leadership.
I also believe it is important to decide to develop a different kind of company, connect with people on a different level, and be perceived as a different company in the marketplace and by your employees.
Terdema Ussery, President and CEO
Overview
Dallas Mavericks
Have a vision and translate that vision to everybody in the organization with passion and conviction.
Salvador Diaz-Verson, Jr., President
Overview
Diaz-Verson Capital Investments, LLC (DVC)
Conduct your business with honorable intentions.
Mark Dimassimo, CEO
Overview
Dimassimo Brand Advertising
Ask questions.
Peter A.J. Gardiner, CEO
Overview
Zindart, Ltd.
Perform or Go.
For more Information
* Motivation. Influence. Persuasion. Leadership Training and Development, Strategic Leadership, Leadership Books. *
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