The New Global Leaders: Richard Branson, Percy Barnevik, David Simon and the Remaking of International Business
What does it take to run a global company during this age of international competition, technology, and downsized work forces? InThe New Global Leaders, Manfred F.R. Kets De Vries and Elizabeth Florent-Treacy provide some answers by examining the lives and work of three of Europe's most storied business leaders: Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group; Percy Barnevik, architect of the merger that created the ABB engineering conglomerate; and David Simon, who resurrected British Petroleum. The authors find that each of these leaders succeeds with charisma and a managing philosophy that centers on speed, openness, and a disdain for bureaucracy. "As organizations go through a global 'revolution,' they require the leadership of a significantly different kind of CEO," write the authors. "Leaders at the helm of the corporations of the future will need the capacity to step out of their own comfort zone and adapt to other realities."While the book is a bit obsequious at times, it's easy to read and understand. Common among all three executives is their simple and direct style. Simon, for example, is a zealot about meeting benchmarks. His slogan is "Performance, reputation, and teamwork." The book shines because it's three biographies and three business histories in one. Managers at companies of any size can benefit from the experiences of Branson, Barnevik, and Simon.--Dan Ring