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Mark Kaiser says his favourite word is "ideally". As chief executive of Cendian, a logistics outsourcing company, he urges his employees to focus on ideal results and not to be constrained by what seems unlikely, or even unattainable.
Ideally, his company will become the largest shipper of chemicals in the world in the next few years. It has grown from half a dozen to 450 employees working in 80 countries in the three years since he came aboard. "This is a wonderful time to build a business," he says. "After the internet bust, there is some great talent available. If you have a vision, you can attract remarkable talent."
Mr Kaiser is featured as a "benevolent leader" in a new book, The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers: The Guide for Achieving Success and Satisfaction, by James Citrin and Richard Smith of Spencer Stuart, the executive search firm. Mr Kaiser learned early in his career that success depended on delegating to trusted subordinates and developing an environment that would attract and retain high performers.
"It's all about making sure there is respect for the individual," he says.
He is also a believer in performance feedback: high performers want to know they are doing good jobs. "You have to communicate: 'You are important. What we are doing is important. We are building a company that has value for our customers. This is not about an individual effort. We will have done it together.'"
Scandal and failure have driven some of the most dazzling stars from the business universe. But is the charismatic ego-driven executive pass?? Are Mr Kaiser and other "benevolent leaders" the future of US business? In his influential 2001 book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don't, Jim Collins drew widespread attention to the success of the "Level 5" executive who builds enduring greatness through a blend of personal humility and professional will.
Michael Seitchik, who runs the Top Talent training programme at RHR International, a psychology management firm, says there is "more awareness" now that the best CEOs are those who get their kicks not from having their pictures on magazine covers, but from getting the right players, developing people and building strong companies.
"Some of these [ego-driven] leaders lose their focus on doing what's best for the company. They get a narrower and narrower group of people around them, and only those who agree with him," he says.
The most consistently successful companies are led by CEOs who care not about self-aggrandisement but stewardship. Mr Citrin and Mr Smith conclude that executives who do the right thing enjoy the greatest lasting success. The authors describe an interview with Herb Kelleher, the much admired CEO of Southwest Airlines. "When we tell visitors that all we've done is just treat people right it's too simplistic for them," he told them. "They want something far more complex. They want a programme."
Mr Citrin and Mr Smith found, as Mr Collins did, that the best-performing leaders are, like Mr Kelleher, relatively self-effacing and humble, characteristics with two great advantages: they attract the best team members and allow employees to develop their potential.
"While the concept of benevolence is simple, it may be one of the most difficult forms of leadership to actually practice because it can run counter to some ingrained human emotions," they say. "In any leadership role, there is a natural tendency to want to be perceived as the boss. When professionals work hard at something, they yearn for recognition . . . unfortunately, the more limelight they take and the more control over the team they wield, the less credit and responsibility are left over for the team, all of whom also share the desire to succeed in their careers."
They identify four categories of leader: the "pirate", who unites people by appealing to their common desires and greed; the "mercenary", who focuses on personal success; the "good citizen", who inspires personal trust but does not hold people accountable and makes tough calls; and the benevolent leader, who stresses team success, inspires trust and motivate others by setting clear, ambitious goals that are mutually shared.
Mr Citrin and Mr Smith say ambitious executives help others advance in their careers. "Take the most blame, give the most credit, set ambitious objectives and let your people strive to realise them, holding people accountable," the authors say. Such leaders also build a network of loyalists they can count on later in their career.
Of course, there is more to building a career than benevolence. "We were looking for the essence of leadership," says Mr Smith. "What we found were not attributes but patterns of behaviour you could identify early in someone's career." Those with extraordinary careers learned early how to create added value for their companies in each phase of their careers. They learned to identify opportunities that others did not see. They expanded their roles in the organisation without offending and demonstrated abilities beyond those called for in their jobs. They met all the goals set by their bosses, but saved time to discover other ways to boost the company.
Lee Iacocca, former chairman of Chrysler, once advised executives to "lead, follow or get out of the way". Mr Citrin and Mr Smith urge all three. Lead with strong values and vision; follow by listening and empowering talented people; and get out of the way by delegating. "Once you have created a team or a company working to make you successful, there is almost no way not to have an extra- ordinarily successful career."
Mr Seitchik, who trains future CEOs, agrees with these sentiments, but is unsure how many have seen the light. Results are still rewarded, he says, without much concern about "bodies left in the wake".
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Lead, follow and then get out the way
Lead, follow and then get out the way
