Synopsis
One would think that Fortune 500 companies would be comprised of individuals who exemplify superior leadership and management. The presumption? The ability to pay large salaries should assure the best leadership and management. Yet a 2007 Booz Allen survey of CEO turnover at the world's 2,500 largest publicly traded corporations found that performance-related turnover within these large companies had increased during an 11-year period by an astounding 318%. Their survey indicated that in 2006 among Fortune 500 companies, nearly one in three CEOs left involuntarily. Superior leadership and management are not a function of the size of the company. Huge salaries do not correlate to leadership or management success. Leadership and management are misunderstood at virtually all levels within and including graduate schools and Fortune 500 companies. Paradoxically, some companies are extremely well led and managed by people with limited formal educations, but who are gifted to lead and manage and therefore achieve substantial and in some cases astounding performance results in the value growth of their companies. Whether through formal education or through natural gifts, those leaders and managers who produce extraordinary results have companies that are characterized by: - A clearly stated direction or vision - Employees who clearly understand their roles and responsibilities - Leaders and managers who regularly clarify expectations - A commitment on the part of virtually all to meet those expectations - A fair and consistent reward system - A work environment that is safe, rewarding and enjoyable - Consistency in making their planned numbers every quarter and year - Increased value growth every year regardless of the economic environment While rare, such companies exist and are models of what is possible with superior leadership and management. The purpose of this book is to define leadership and management, make clear their distinctions and help many in positions of leadership and management become more effective. We deliberately chose to use the word many. While our concepts and tools
About the Author
Laurence B. Valant President and CEO, Valant & Company lvalant@valantco. Laurence B. Valant and his team have applied their business performance improvement methodology successfully with 225 clients in a wide range of industries, businesses and professions over the past 40-plus years. As you will learn in this book, Larry is dedicated to the concepts of honesty, integrity, punctuality, vision, teamwork, accountability, communication, kindness and other personal characteristics that can guarantee success in work and in life.Larry is an expert in general management and strategic, organization, marketing, operations, IT, and executive compensation. As the founder of Valant & Company, Larry's consulting leadership has extended from well-funded and successful start-ups (achieving first year profitable sales in excess of $35 million) to $2.0 billion + companies. His most recent successes include helping accounting and business advisory firm Weaver & Tidwell grow revenues from $19 million three years ago to $51 million in 2007. The record shows that clients who work closely with Larry and his team and follow the Valant Execution Model faithfully always achieve a financial return of at least three times the investment in the process itself in the first year.Gayle W. Hustad Partner, Valant & Co.gayle@valantco.com As the founder and owner of a telecommunications business, Gayle brings an entrepreneurial and small business perspective to Valant & Company. Holding P&L leadership of a pager and mobile phone service provider, she led this business in securing 90% of the market against their major competitor, US West Communications. Her strengths in marketing and customer service positioned the business for its eventual acquisition by Consolidated Telephone. Prior to joining Valant & Company, Gayle was an Executive Vice President at a national outplacement and consulting organization. As the senior associate of a 27-member consulting staff, she directed a nationwide team in delivering outplacement and executive coaching services. In addition to consulting top executives from such Fortune 500 Companies as Delphi Automotive Systems, Syngenta, Novartis, Mitsubishi, Textron, Kellogg Company, and CitiCorp, Gayle's responsibilities included training, program development and customer service management. Through her consulting work, Gayle has delivered seminars to thousands of executives throughout the United States. Her professional experience also includes extensive work in strategic planning and organizational development.
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