Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits (J-B Warren Bennis Series)

I was honest about the problems, and they motivated themselves to solve them; I couldn’t do that for them.

Your key resource people may be engineers, designers, artists, city managers, accountants, mathematicians, chemists, editors, district sales managers, or some of each. But average them all out and they’re making one fifth of what the chief executive gets. Fair? Not in my book. And it cuts two ways.

If you’re the boss and your people fight you openly when they think you’re wrong—that’s healthy. If your men fight each other openly in your presence for what they believe in—that’s healthy. But keep all the conflict eyeball to eyeball

Billy Graham has a man named Grady Wilson who yells “Horseshit”—however you say that in Baptist—at him whenever he takes himself too seriously. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons the Graham organization has been so successful. I had a Chairman of the Executive Committee who used to blow a launch-caller at me.12 Every chief executive should find some

JOB DESCRIPTIONS—STRAIT JACKETS

good leader is simplistic, not complex. He makes things seem simple. He’s persistent. If he can’t convince his people and he really thinks it ought to be done, he’ll find a different way to come at them until either they convince him, or he them. He’s fair and has a sense of humor, and he has humility. If you ever become chief executive, remember:Y

I’ve gone away. Until I get back Henry is chief executive officer. Please don’t hold up decisions. Anything you do in my absence will have my complete support when I return. R. C. T. Two things about this. Rotate the acting successor if you can. Otherwise you’ve named your heir. And don’t say where you’ve gone or when you’ll be back. Remember, you

it.The controller’s job is to see that all future surprises are pleasant.

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION AND PROFIT SHARING