While thumbing through a business publication the other evening, I came across the following quote by the CEO of Davey Tree, a $400,000,000 comopany. I have used the following quote by Mr. Cowan without his permission:
"If you evaluated the executive talent on a scale of one to ten, at Davey, we don't have anybody better than a six or maybe a seven, individually. But collectively, we operate like an eight or a nine.
I can show you companies where the executive talent has eights or nines and maybe a couple of tens, and collectively they operate like a five. It isn't how skill the individual is - it's how the group functions collectively."
Mr. Cowan could not have parapharased "Good to Great" by Jim Collins any better than he has. Generally the nines and tens are all about ego, personal goals, and outshining ones peer. In growing and sustaining the "culture" of P. Graham Dunn we would aspire to Mr. Cowan's description of a successful management team!
Peter Dunn
Thursday, June 14, 2007
P. GRAHAM DUNN LEADERSHIP MODEL
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
Was searching on the web for ideas on leadership and came across your post. I couldn't agree more. My company relies too much on my ideas and direction. I hope that I can develop my people like you have. I see that you are in Wayne County Ohio. With your philosophies, I'd say that you will soon be more high profile than your Wayne County counterpart -- JM Smucker. Keep it up !
Bill
Glendale, AZ
Bill:
Thanks for your gracious words. The amazing thing about "letting go" and empowering others is the paradox that in the process one gains not only more freedom, but more trust, respect, and control. It is hard to rationalize - but the looser you hold on, the more comes back!
One of my gut checks was reading about Henry Ford and the way he literally drove his son Edsel to an early grave with a stomach ulcer that turned into cancer because he was not secure enough to transition the Ford Motor Company to the next generation.
He died a bitter, broken heart (albeit financially successful) man.
Peter
Post a Comment