Lessons from the Top : The 50 Most Successful Business Leaders in America--and What You Can Learn from Them

by NEFF, THOMAS J.CITRIN, JAMES M.

• ISBN13: 9780385493444
• ISBN10: 0385493444
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-04-17
• Publisher: Crown Business

Summary

In the bestselling tradition of In Search of Excellence, fascinating and revealing profiles of the most successful business leaders in America and the strategies, methods, and motivational techniques they use to help make their companies great. What makes a great business leader? What qualities do the men and women at the top of the world's best-run companies have in common? What lessons can they teach other managers and CEOs? Thomas J. Neff and James M. Citrin provide the answers to these vital questions in Lessons from the Top. Using the most exacting standards imaginable, and employing the research expertise of the Gallup Organization and the analytical tools of investment advisers Lazard Freres, they selected the fifty best executives in business today and interviewed them about their long-term strategies, career milestones, key accomplishments, and guiding beliefs. The result is an unparalleled course in what it takes to create a successful, well-organized company in any industry. Lessons from the Top profiles such well-known people as Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Lou Gerstner, and Andy Grove, as well as less familiar figures like Bill Steere of Pfizer, Shelly Lazarus of Ogilvy & Mather, Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco International, and Frank Raines of Fannie Mae. In the final section of the book, the authors distill the qualities these accomplished individuals share, as well as delineate six essential principles of business leadership. A winning combination of entertaining stories about life at the top (and how to get there) and rigorous business insights, Lessons from the Top received high praise when it was published in hardcover and went back to press six times. With a new Introduction, the paperback edition will bring its important lessons to an even wider audience From the Trade Paperback edition.

Author Biography

Thomas J. Neff is Chairman of Spencer Stuart U.S., hailed by <i>The</i> <i>Wall Street Journal</i> as "The No. 1 Brand Name in CEO Searches." He has been profiled on the cover of <i>Business Week</i> and in the business section of the <i>New York Times</i>. James M. Citrin, Managing Director of Spencer Stuart's Global Communication and Media Practice, has written articles for the <i>New York Times</i> and has appeared on CNBC and CNN. Both authors live in Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Paperback Edition	xiii
PART I The Search for the Best Business Leaders in America	1	(28)
What Makes Business Leaders Great	3	(8)
Evaluating Today's Business Leaders	11	(6)
Methodology: A Closer Look at the Numbers	17	(12)
PART II Profiles	29	(324)
Overview to Profiles	31	(4)
``You've got to have the guts to make a decision.''	35	(6)
Mike Armstrong
Leading by example	41	(6)
Carol Bartz
Creating customers for life	47	(8)
Hans Becherer
It's how you'd run an airline	55	(6)
Gordon Bethune
``There was a time when I thought brains were everything.''	61	(6)
Larry Bossidy
Execute	67	(6)
Jim Broadhead
You've got mail	73	(6)
Steve Case
``Everybody here knows what we want to accomplish.''	79	(6)
John Chambers
The power of direct	85	(6)
Michael Dell
Managing the nation's material, human, and inner resources	91	(8)
Elizabeth Dole
``You don't want to be a manager. You want to be a leader.''	99	(6)
Bob Eaton
``The only real values are the eternal ones.''	105	(6)
Bernie Ebbers
``What you are striving for is magic, not perfection.''	111	(6)
Michael Eisner
The Gap Formula for Success is as easy as 1-2-3: luck, common sense, and a small ego	117	(6)
Don Fisher
(Earth)Mover	123	(6)
Don Fites
Missionary	129	(8)
Bill Gates
``Once you think you can write down what made you successful, you won't be.''	137	(6)
Lou Gerstner
``Working for a higher purpose''	143	(8)
Ray Gilmartin
``We hire PSDs: people who are poor, smart, and have a deep desire to be rich.''	151	(6)
Ace Greenberg
``You look for white blackbirds.''	157	(6)
Hank Greenberg
The boss must be in charge of training	163	(6)
Andy Grove
Rallying---and leading---the troops	169	(6)
Charles Heimbold
Keeping everything in balance	175	(6)
Martha Ingram
Winning	181	(6)
David Johnson
``Culture is your number-one priority.''	187	(6)
Herbs Kelleher
``We have to keep earning the trust of our customers.''	193	(6)
Bill Kerr
``Keep it simple.''	199	(6)
Chuck Knight
``There is a lot one person can do.''	205	(4)
Dennis Kozlowski
``Edicts don't work.''	209	(6)
Ralph Larsen
The $30 billion corner store	215	(6)
Ken Lay
360-degree branding	221	(8)
Shelly Lazarus
Taking care of the customers, and the people who take care of the customers	229	(6)
Bill Marriott
``You've got to do what you do well.''	235	(6)
Lou Noto
``The test is how you connect with people.''	241	(6)
Paul O'Neill
``What do you want to achieve?''	247	(6)
John Pepper
Reluctant role model	253	(6)
Frank Raines
Sharing success	259	(6)
Howard Schultz
``I am the customer.''	265	(6)
Charles Schwab
``If people feel valued, you have a much stronger company.''	271	(6)
Walter Shipley
``Not to be an entrepreneur is to begin the process of decline and decay.''	277	(8)
Fred Smith
``Fads come. Fads go. We concentrate on what we do best.''	285	(6)
Bill Steere
Bet the company, with everyone's help	291	(8)
Bob Tillman
Drive	299	(8)
Alex Trotman
``There is only one question to ask: What's best for the customer?''	307	(12)
Dan Tully
David Komansky
Serious about business, serious about people	319	(8)
Mike Volkema
``You must have a moral compass.''	327	(6)
Charles Wang
Let's build something together	333	(6)
Sandy Weill
``I don't think anyone understands the value of informal.''	339	(8)
Jack Welch
Focus	347	(6)
Al Zeien
PART III Lessons Learned	353	(36)
Introduction	355	(2)
The 51st Business Leader: Peter Drucker	357	(4)
``Yes, you want to manage for results. But what do you mean by results?''
Doing the Right Things Right: A New Definition of Business Success	361	(18)
Common Traits: A Prescription for Success in Business	379	(10)
Appendices	389	(22)
Appendix 1 (Gallup Survey)	389	(4)
Appendix 2 (Financial Analysis Methodology)	393	(4)
Appendix 3 (Interview Guide)	397	(14)
Acknowledgments: The Making of Lessons from the Top	411	(6)
Index	417