Plant Services - October 2007 - (Page 15)

KEN SChNEPf THE PS FILES What it takes to be a leader Former Porsche CEO says resource management makes the difference W hile every company has its standout employees, A pit crew is what Schutz calls implementation. Every a good manager gets the entire crew focused member of a pit crew has a specific job and within a matand motivated to achieve excellence, says Peter ter of seconds, the car gets back in the race. “To implement Schutz, former CEO of Porsche A.G., and guest speaker at in a truly effective manner, you have to do that part of the the management roundtable held for the first time during job in a dictatorship type of manner, but in a participative the Emerson Global Users Exchange on September 10-14 democratic process,” he explains. “This participative process in Grapevine, Texas. With today’s dwindling engineering will try the patience of a saint. There will be times you need workforce, it becomes even more important to get the most to compromise what you know is really best.” out of each employee. “Cars don’t win races,” Schutz stresses. “People and the “My formal training is as an engineer,” he explained. “My way they work together for a common cause do.” favorite philosopher is Yogi Berra, who said, ‘you can obThe founders of FedEx are a good example, says Schutz. serve a lot if you just watch.’” They were interested in flying planes, and To gain competitive advantage in today’s came up with an idea to track packages Company super through a central location in Memphis, Tenn. business world, “you need to learn how to get extraordinary results out of basically orThey realized they would have to build a large stars need dinary people,” Schutz says. Every company idea everyone else’s distribution facility. They took their it wasto has its super stars, but they need everyone the top executives of UPS, who said a support to else’s support to succeed. “If you fail to procrazy idea and it wouldn’t work. Look where succeed. vide a supporting cast of enthusiastic and FedEx is today. motivated people, you will lose the super Using another analogy, Schutz compared stars,” he warns. business to football. Neither one is rocket sciHe likens the job of leading people to that of being a parence, he says. In business and football, flawless implementaent. “If you can find a correlation between their dreams and tion of the fundamentals is most frequently the foundation what they do, they will be motivated. At other times, they of success. These fundamentals are practiced and repeated need discipline,” he says. Not only do you need to be like a every day. parent, but you also must be a good communicator, an acHowever, to achieve that success, the plan can’t be imcountant and lawyer. When unexpected situations arise, you plemented until every member of the team completely unare expected to deal with them. derstands their role. If everyone isn’t on board, don’t start “When we manage, when we lead an organization, we implementing. “Always start every new project with a short must make plans and then implement them,” says Schutz, a review and build on it,” he recommends. Never let people lecturer on leadership and business management and author forget what it is that you do best. of “The Driving Force,” which also is available as a video. Schutz served as Porsche’s CEO fron 1981 to 1988, durDon’t get in a hurry when planning. Take all the time you ing which time the company’s worldwide sales grew from need, otherwise the plan won’t be implemented. “Implemen28,000 units to more than 53,000 units. During his tenure, tation is the hard part,” he says. The best plans you will ever revenues at Porsche grew from $85 million to $3.7 billion. make are the hardest to implement because there is always Prior to his tenure at Porsche, he served 15 years at Catersomeone who can find many reasons why it can’t be done. pillar Tractor Co. in Peoria, Ill. He also spent 11 years at “Why are the really creative plans the most difficult to Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, Ind., including implement?,” poses Schutz. “This is not a question of people eight years as vice president of sales service of truck engines not being intelligent enough. Intelligent people can fined in the U.S. and Canada. many reasons why something may not work and then you are solving problems that may not even exist.” E-mail Managing Editor Ken Schnepf at kschnepf@putman.net. October 2007 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 15 http://www.plantservices.com/voices/ps_files.html http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - October 2007

Plant Services - October 2007 Contents Monetize It Letters Step into the Blogosphere What it Takes to be a Leader Up and Running Crisis Corner What Works From the Summit Treat Them Right Access Control Out of the Woods Show Me, Don't Guess Condition Assessment Made Easy The Air Above the Floor Power to the Prime Movers In the Trenches Illuminating Maintenance

Plant Services - October 2007

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