Читать книгу Stacking the Deck - Pottruck David S. - Страница 10

As I began the serious business of writing a book, I naturally sought advice and counsel from business leaders who had led extraordinary change initiatives during their careers, people who had a range of relevant experience. I spoke with eBay CEO John Donahoe, former Amylin president and CEO Ginger Graham, former Wells Fargo CEO Dick Kovacevich, and Starbucks chief executive officer Howard Schultz – all experienced CEOs who have seen change from virtually every vantage point. I also wanted some newer leaders who had recently become CEOs or presidents. These interviewees included San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer, JetBlue CEO Dave Barger, Asurion CEO Steve Ellis, Pinkberry CEO Ron Graves, and Intel's president Renée James. Mike Bell, former member of the iPhone development team at Apple and now head of new mobile devices at Intel, and Debby Hopkins, Citicorp chief innovation officer, provide the perspective of senior executives who are directly leading bold change. And finally, to discuss the important skills needed for leadership communication, there is simply no one more knowledgeable and experienced than Terry Pearce, consultant and author of Leading Out Loud. Brief biographies for each of the interviewees are in the back of the book. More-detailed biographies, recommended readings relevant to the steps, readings on leadership communication, and supplemental material are available on the book's website.

This group of interviewees shared their experiences in large public companies and small private companies, from high tech to consumer products, retailing and services. Some of these organizations are recent or somewhat mature start-ups; others have been around for decades or even a century. One individual has spent his entire career in one company, and three others were or still are consultants who have seen bold projects succeed or fail at dozens of companies over their careers. The breadth of experiences represented by the leaders you will meet in Stacking the Deck gave the book the depth I was searching for.

These leaders expanded my thinking, challenged some of my initial ideas, and helped make my principles much more complete and robust. I have quoted them extensively throughout the book, and their influence and value go far beyond the specific quotes I've included. Simply stated, every part of this book benefited and was transformed by the lessons these incredible leaders provided. They provided validation of many of the ideas I had been teaching and added their own stories of how experiences unfolded for them. My hope is that by presenting parts of my history and that of other leaders, I can help readers leap over potential pitfalls on their own leadership paths, thus accelerating success, their own and that of their organizations.