James A. Belasco - Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead

Copyright 1993 by James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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First eBook Edition: August 1994

ISBN: 978-0-446-54930-1

THE BUSINESS BOOK THAT KNOWS HOW BUSINESSES REALLY WORK, AND HOW YOURS CAN TAKE FLIGHT TODAY.

FLIGHT OF THE BUFFALO

These are crazy times in the world's marketplace. They call for bold efforts on the part of business and political leaders. No business leader has been more bold, and few have been more successful, than Ralph Stayer.

Tom Peters, bestselling coauthor of In Search of Excellence and Thriving on Chaos

A book that has the potential to change American business and how it perceives leadership.

Business Life

Extraordinarily articulatean excellent job of offering specific suggestions about how management can better integrate its overall responsibilities with a more precise focus on the aspirations of colleagues and the desires of customers. This book should help us all flap our wings!

Robert Crandall, chairman of American Airlines

A hell of a book! Lots of great ideas, information, and examples that will turn managers into leaders.

Robert J. Kriegel, Ph.D., author of If It Ain't BrokeBreak It!

Whether you run a company or work for one, you'll find FLIGHT OF THE BUFFALO a valuable addition to your business library.

West Coast Review of Books

The best of the new generation of proactive business books that effectively teaches by example and empowers the reader to achieve excellence in any organization.

Lester Korn, chairman emeritus, Korn-Ferry International

A masterful synthesiscompellingthe prescriptions are appropriate to the times and trends, and they are practical.

Business Book Review

JAMES A. BELASCO is the author of the bestselling Teaching the Elephant to Dance: Empowering Change in Your Organization and a professor of management at San Diego State University. He has consulted and done research with such organizations as IBM, AT&T, Royal Dutch Shell, Ralston Purina, and Merck.

RALPH C. STAYER is the former CEO of Johnsonville Foods, where his courageous, pioneering innovations made it one of the most progressive and successful employee-run companies in the countryand made Stayer the hero of Tom Peters's management video, The Leadership Alliance. Today, Stayer consults with such organizations as AT&T, Frito-Lay, BMW, and McDonnell Douglas.

I am blessed with the many great teachers who graced the classroom of my life. They taught what they could, learned what they needed, and enriched us both in the exchange.

There is first and foremost my wife, Candy, from whom I've learned the invaluable lesson of caring. She taught me the truth in the statement, They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care about them. In addition, she invested her considerable intellect and wordsmithing ability in converting some of my turgid prose into a readable format. I am blessed to have her as my life partner/best friend in family and personal matters as well as my trusted and valued colleague in business and consulting matters.

Then there is Meredith Kunsa, the director of my consulting office from whom I've learned the lesson of partnership and support. I could not do what I do without her doing what she does, so very well. Everywhere I go I receive grateful acknowledgments like, Meredith is the best person to work with. She's terrific. I usually smile and say, I know. Meredith is a world-class person.

My academic colleagues at San Diego State University taught me the lesson of discipline. They continuously encourage me to use rigorous academic tools to enhance the learning for myself and my students. I am blessed with their willingness to find ways where together we can build a very fine institution.

Peggy Covert is a marvel. She constantly teaches me about entrepreneurialism. As the Director of Professional Development Activities for San Diego State University, she creatively looks for ways to bring new and valuable educational experiences to the San Diego business community. We all learn because of her efforts.

Michael Viner taught me the value of quiet creativity. Michael is a genius in creating innovative ways to accomplish what needs to be done. More important, Michael does his inventing calmly and quietly. While I am still spewing anxiety into the air about What can we do? he has invented a great new solution. If only I could learn his secret for calmness under pressure.

Ann Sturgis taught me the important lesson of gentleness. She used her genteel southern-lady approach to smooth out my sharp edges, and her substantial editorial talents to bring the manuscript into the literary mainstream. I learned from her that how you say things is often as important as what you say.

From the many people with whom I've worked in my consulting and teaching I have learned different things in different ways, but most of all I've learned the value of diversity. Salads are more interesting and healthful than melting pots.

I am blessed with the employees/partners with whom I work, from whom I've learned the lesson of focus. Their urging has helped me focus on those few things I do best, and then to empower others to do what they do best. Together we are saving the planetand helping each other continually learn.

I learned the value of commitment from my children: Michael, Leslie, Hugh, Marianne, Laura, Melissa, David, and my grandchildren: Eric, Michael, Scooter, Brandon, Dustin, Joshua, Mason, Candyand especially Shaun. Business situations come and go, but the moral imperative/commitment to family is forever.

With all my heart I wish my parents could be here to share this with me. The strong foundation they gave me in social equity indelibly shaped my view of right and wrong, and my sense of personal responsibility. Wherever they are, they must know that they were my first and most powerful teachers.

It's been an incredible journey for meand, as the Carpenters sang, It's only just begun. I stand in awe of not what has been, but of what is yet to be: of not what I have learned, but of all that there is yet for me to learn. The insights shared in these pages are the direct result of the learnings from my great teachers. The errors are the products of the hubris and ignorance of the writer.

JAMES A. BELASCO

If life is learning, then teachers are the key to living. I would like to acknowledge a few of the teachers who have unlocked so many doors for me.

My wife, Cathy, who taught me early in my career to ask myself, Why does it have to be like this? She has always been willing to question and challenge my sacred cows. Her understanding of what is important in life has kept me from missing what is most important in my lifeour family and friends.

My children, Michael, Ralph, Laura, and Patrick, who have taught me to accept people for what they are. Their ability to love me despite my faults and mistakes has made it much easier for me to work with others.

My parents, Ralph and Alice Stayer, who taught me that I was responsible for my own life and then allowed me to practice that philosophy. They actually allowed me to make important decisions in their business shortly out of college and then held me accountable for them. Their example provided the road map for my journey. Their trust in me taught me to trust others.