A Tribute to Ken Iverson: “Mr. Iverson passed away in April 2002 at age 76, but he left behind a legacy of proof that a great workplace is great for business. While profits fell last year by 63%, pushed down by the downturn in the economy and a rise in cheap imports, the company still had net earnings of $113 million — a stellar performance in a tough year that saw most integrated companies losing big bucks. The company is the largest steel producer in the U.S., with over $4.5 billion in annual sales.”
Ken Iverson was one of those guys that proves that leading a company makes business sense. It takes more effort and focus than simply managing and demanding, but ultimately, it generates both better shareholder value and a more solid company.
His philosophy, as outlined in the linked article in BetterWorkplaceNow.com, includes:
- Turn everyone into a decision maker
- Minimize the layers
- Treat people as equals
- Encourage innovation
The article is definitely worth a read. What do you think?
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Give a read to F. Nicholas Jacobs’ blog sometime. Here’s a link: http://windberblog.typepad.com/
Jacobs is the fellow who turned around Windber Medical Center a few years ago. Inspiring guy who had a vision of what health care could be…then made it so. Interesting example of leadership for sure!