Plain Talk: Lessons from a Business Maverick
A visionary, maverick, and genuine American business hero, Ken Iverson is one of the most closely-watched business leaders in the world. Credited with single-handedly rejuvenating the rapidly declining American steel industry to the status of world-class producer, Iverson is one of the most successful and, as he likes to point out, one of the lowest-paid CEOs in the U.S. In his long-awaited book, Ken Iverson shares his ideas, observations, and the lessons he's learned about what it takes to grow a super-competitive, world-class organization.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Warren Bennis vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 3
Chapter 1 A Higher Cause 11
Chapter 2 Trust Your Instincts 25
Chapter 3 Destroy the Hierarchy 51
Chapter 4 The Engines of Progress 79
Chapter 5 A Simple Stake in the Business 101
Chapter 6 The Virtues of Smallness 123
Chapter 7 Risks and Adventures 143
Chapter 8 Ethics over Politics 165
Chapter 9 The Bottom Line 177
Epilogue The Cure for the Common MBA 185
Notes 194
Index 195
About the Author :
F. KENNETH IVERSON was raised in Downers Grove, Illinois. After earning a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Cornell and a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue, Iverson started his career as a research physicist and held several technical and management positions in the metals industry.
He joined Nuclear Corporation of America as a vice president in 1962. When Nuclear Corporation faced bankruptcy in 1965, the board elevated Iverson, then thirty-nine years old, to President and placed the company’s future in his hands. He focused the failing company on two businesses—fabricating joists from steel (to be used in nonresidential construction) and making steel itself from recycled metal scrap. In 1972, Nuclear Corporation changed its name to Nucor Corporation. Today, Nucor is America’s third-largest steel maker.
Iverson has served on the boards of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Wachovia Corporation. President Bush awarded him the National Medal of Technology, America’s highest award for technological achievement.
TOM VARIAN is a principal of Strategic Communications Services in Mooresville, North Carolina. His clients include Johnson & Johnson, 3M, and the Special Projects Group at FORTUNE magazine.
Review :
"Ken Iverson is a leader whose vision shaped an industry and the future, a leader whose character, values, and ethics merge seamlessly with the mission and values of a successful, innovative business."
—Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO The Peter F. Drucker Foundation
"Ken Iverson taught us that America could compete in a tough global economy. He did it in an industry where being a maverick was the only way. His accounting of Nucor's story should serve as a blue-print for us all."
—David Glass, President and CEO Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
"No theory; just important, practical ideas proven by Ken Iverson in the furnace at Nucor."
—Peter Larson, Chairman and CEO Brunswick Corporation
"It is a masterpiece! The book provides a penetrating analysis of why Nucor has performed so well for so long, full of insights and solid conclusions. The book is easy to follow, very well written, and a 'must' read for every executive."
—Vijay Govindarajan Earl C. Dum 1924 Professor of International Business Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmout College
"This is a story about Ken Iverson, a man who built a major steel company from ground zero. But most of all, it's about motivating people to a level of remarkable accomplishment. You will enjoy reading this book as much as the people who work for Nucor enjoy being there."
—James F. Collins, President Steel Manufacturers Association
