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In essence, each CEO placed the needs of the organization above
his own. And each one had the discipline and professional will to
forge ahead on a single, undeterred path through every trial and
tribulation the economy, competition, government and industry placed
before him.
The researchers found that their results flew in the face of conventional
wisdom and their own expectations.
"People generally assume that transforming companies from good to
great requires larger-than-life leaders - big personalities like
Iacocca, Dunlap, Welch and Gault, who make headlines and become
celebrities."
None of those CEOs or types of CEO surfaced.
Instead, the true leaders of greatness were found to be CEOs like
mild-mannered Darwin E. Smith of Kimberly Clark, who transformed
the company from an old world paper company into a leading consumer
paper products company. With Smith at the helm, Kimberly Clark surpassed
its chief competitors Scott Paper and Procter & Gamble. He "generated
cumulative stock returns that were 4.1 times greater than those
of the general market, outperforming venerable companies such as
Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Coca-Cola and General Electric."
Each steward of greatness was cut from the same cloth and became
a study in duality. Each was "modest and willful, shy and fearless."
And each met with astounding success.
By leading with resolve, each leader instilled in their company,
through their own humility and will, a culture of discipline. It
wasn't a discipline born of forced compliance. Instead, it was a
personal discipline. Born of a humble desire to see the company
succeed first and foremost beyond any personal desires for success
or gain or notoriety.
The culture they inspired embodies three forms of discipline. Disciplined
people. Disciplined thought. And disciplined action. According to
the article, "when you have disciplined people, you don't need hierarchy.
When you have disciplined thought, you don't need bureaucracy. When
you have disciplined action, you don't need excessive controls.
When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship,
you get the magic alchemy of great performance."
At O'Brien Group, we couldn't agree more. Our work
is dedicated to finding the seeds of greatness within our clients
and cultivating those seeds.
The research leaves off at precisely the point in which O'Brien Group takes over. To cultivate the seeds of greatness,
the research recommends "self-reflection, a mentor, .... a significant
life experience, or other factors so the seed can begin to develop."
Our approach to executive leadership development does just that.
We not only help clients discover and cultivate their seeds of greatness
through self-reflection and coaching, our approach provides a significant
life experience. Executives gain a new perspective on their lives,
their work and their impact on others. For many, the perspective
is life altering.
Our approach to executive leadership is based on the Discipline
of Personal Mastery, as pioneered by our founder, Dr. Michael O'Brien.
This discipline was developed years before the empirical research
found in the Harvard Business Review emerged to quantify the impact
of leadership by resolve. The research proves what we've been saying
and practicing all along - that leadership by resolve can significantly
impact the performance of a company by creating corporate cultures
of disciplined thought and action.
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