In visits to Nucor Corp.'s plants in Blytheville and Hickman, Ark., Crawfordsville, Ind., and Brigham City and Plymouth, Utah, I always was impressed by the high spirits of the workers and the pride they have in their plant and their company. By making sure that those who produce the steel know they're the kings of the company, as Correnti puts it, not the sales and marketing department. In practice, this means adopting an egalitarian philosophy and backing up words with action. Nucor's employees can believe what management says because they see the company's principles in action everywhere they look. Workers don't see executives stepping off a corporate jet or driving a company car.
All employees have the same vacation benefits and insurance plans.
Nucor pays close attention to detail in implementing its principles. On the cover of its annual report, Nucor lists every employee in alphabetical order in small type. John D. Correnti is next to Ronald D. Cornwell and Michael S. Corwin, not F.K. Iverson and CFO Samuel Siegel. Instead of uttering trendy phrases to placate analysts and investors, Correnti, Iverson, and the rest of Nucor are smart and independent enough to keep their eyes firmly focused on the company's workers. If you have loyal, dedicated, hard-working employees who are happy, they'll take care of the customers.