I played golf with a friend recently. I was fascinated by his career accomplishments and leadership principles. He's exactly the leader of the future that I believe in, and so I asked him to share his philosophy, much of which I've actually practiced.
Alan Mulally was chief executive of Ford Motor Co. from 2006 to 2014. At Ford, he led one of the most successful corporate turnarounds in history, with Ford becoming the No. 1 automobile brand in the United States. Before that, he worked for Boeing for 37 years, rising to become CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, where he led the development of the world-class 777 airplane.
It was at Boeing that Alan first developed his "Working Together" principles, practices and management-system culture in which people develop a sense of meaning and purpose in their work. In short, his philosophy is "to serve is to live."
Here is his leadership and management system:
People first. Everyone is worthy of respect at all levels of your organization. Appreciate your people, thank them, celebrate their work and contributions. Alan often ate lunch in the employee cafeteria and asked employees what they needed to do their jobs better.
Include everyone. In the past, management in public companies focused on shareholders. Alan's philosophy is that all stakeholders must be included — employees, suppliers, unions, partners, leasing companies, bankers, investors, governments and all the communities where you do business. He calls this stakeholder-centered leadership.
Compelling vision, comprehensive strategy and positive, relentless implementation. The plan must be clear, concise and shared with all of the stakeholders. It must then be carried out with determination and transparency.
Clear performance goals. Alan believes any plan should create long-term value and profitable growth for all stakeholders, with products and services that people want and value.
