Giving some hope

What book, poem, film, speech, painting, quote, story, or person (or whatever) continues to inspire your leadership?

I ran the Race for Life with a lady who had terminal cancer. We ran the race holding hands, as I am a cancer sufferer myself. When it was over and we crossed the finish line, she said "Thank you for giving me some hope", and I couldn't work out what she meant (because she was terminal), until I told this story at an event for leaders during my time at the County Council. Someone in the audience commented that "even when things seem desperate and hopeless, it's important to notice the people who need a hand, especially when you can be bothered to travel the distance with them."  

What is it about this piece that inspires you and helps sustain you as a leader? In other words, tell me the story behind your selection. 

Going the distance with people, and not in front of them, continues to sustain my leadership.

I had been back at work for two years following a close shave with cancer, and had managed to secure a senior post in relatively short time. From here I progressed to leading and managing. One of my tasks was to facilitate workshops for senior managers in my organisation, and it was at one of these that I told the story of the Race for Life.

I had arrived at the common in Southampton along with thousands of other women, some with memorial notices on their shirts depicting the faces of loved ones lost. Race for Life is an emotional occasion, and I noticed a lady quietly sitting with tears rolling down her face. I sat with her and asked her about her sadness. 

She had terminal cancer, and had come to the Race with her husband and 4 year old daughter who had gone to find some ice cream. In spite of her pain, she chose to run the three kilometers, and I felt very humbled by her bravery. I offered to run with her, and she held out her hand. We ran the whole distance together hand in hand. When we crossed the finishing line, we did none of the air punching, or cheering you might expect. We just hugged each other and she said "thank you for giving me hope". She then left, and my family came over and gave me hugs and kisses. I never saw her again, but kept thinking about what she meant by giving her hope, because she had told me she was terminal. It wasn't until I told the story at the leadership class, thinking that this might inspire others to literally run the race in terms of leading groups, when someone piped up and said

"even when things seem desperate and hopeless, it's important to notice the people who need a hand, especially when you can be bothered to travel the distance with them."

That what sustains my leadership style. I don't want to look back at those following an "example", I want to work with them - I want to be bothered.

Sue Roberts

The leadership paradox

“To be a person means to have learned the secret and paradoxical art: to go out, and yet remain within; to exert power yet exercise restraint; to transcend, and yet remain oneself; to be in movement, yet to be in total repose”

This quotation (from The Way of Paradox: Spiritual Life as Taught by Meister Eckhart) gets to the heart of a fundamental conundrum of leadership. By asking us to make an integration of seemingly contradictory elements, it highlights a juggling act that leaders must learn if they are to be truly effective. 

It reminds me to pause in the midst of action, ‘touch base’ as well as encourage people I work with to do the same. This is about doing my best to move beyond kneejerk reactions; see the bigger picture and be responsive to specifics of the moment. It isn’t a soft option; when the pressure is on and the clock is ticking I find it fiercely difficult, requiring rigour, discrimination, humility and commitment.

A recurring theme for myself and my clients is feeling we have to do more, faster. Like Alice in Wonderland we are running as fast as we can to stay in the same place. I know from my own experience that when everything around is speedy it takes courage to stop and reflect, even for a moment.

Let’s face it speed is exuberant, eager to embrace change and get things done. It’s high-powered, confident and heroic – just ask Jeremy Clarkson! Speed = success; it drives economic growth, stays ahead of the game and gives an exhilarating buzz. But too often speed= superficial; with its short term view, blinkered focus on the next quarter and reckless ‘JFDI’ mindset. Speed plays a part in financial meltdown, social injustice and environmental devastation. In my heart I know that those well meaning but unhelpful interventions and decisions I am most ashamed of have often been made speedily.

A culture of speed plays to our inadequacy; sometimes it seems whatever I do it’s never enough. This can push me into over compensating; living falsely outside of myself, just skimming the surface. I’ve seen this result in burnout and an erosion of integrity that leads to abuses of power, hubris and career derailment. This quotation inspires me to do my best to live and lead not just from the surface; to see beyond roles, image and status and find a deeper, more ‘soulful’ place to stand as I work in the world.

For me, these practical, profound and provocative words represent a call to embrace contradiction; to experiment with reflective risk taking, to remain calm and connected in the midst of action, show restraint while being decisive and allow paradox to shape my notion of what it means to be a leader. I may never fully achieve all this but the journey should be interesting! 

Helen Sieroda

Begin it

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy,
   the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation)
   there is one elementary truth,
   the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself,
   then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
   that would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
   raising in one's favour all manner
   of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance,
   which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

This passage is a quotation from William Murray’s book, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951). It is pinned to the notice board in my office, and it catches my eye on a regular basis — sometimes a daily basis. I know it off-by-heart, and I hold its sentiments in mind, often unspoken, because in certain moods and at certain times of really needing self-leadership, I can hardly bear to say its words, such is the power they still have to inspire and encourage me.

I am intrigued by the deal it offers — that my energy, my commitment and my caring are attractive, contagious and powerful enough to influence others and bring closer my potential and my dream.

Me and Providence : Providence and Me — it’s an intoxicating thought!

I do know, however, that my energy, commitment and caring certainly have the power to motivate me, if only I will take William Murray’s advice and begin it.

I believe that boldness has genius, power and magic in it, and I am also intrigued by this belief. The creativity and achievement that I experience when in flow is familiar to me. I know that it is attractive, because I am similarly attracted to follow those whose genius and power I perceive. It’s the magic that I find really beguiling.

I know perfectly well that magical thinking is irrational and escapist, and probably a displacement activity, but it is also wonderfully intuitive and visionary and absolutely essential for those of us, who, like me, are more motivated by the potential of the future than the reality of the present. Without magical thinking I may not give myself permission to be bold — to seize the day — and that would be a great pity, because so often it works very well.

Alastair Wyllie

Single minded courage

What book, poem, film, speech, painting, quote, story, or person (or whatever) continues to inspire your leadership?

The picture of Shand Sivewright driving his own vehicle independently is an image I keep with me at all times. For someone so totally disabled, this was a huge achievement. It is on my blog under “A Story of Courage”, which his own self-effacing account of part of his journey to get the car.

What is it about this piece that inspires you and helps sustain you as a leader? In other words, tell me the story behind your selection.

Shand was incredibly single minded and courageous.

Although unable to lift a cup or feed himself, he had confidence in his own abilities and was determined to drive. So profound was his disability, that, pushed bodily to one side in his wheelchair, he was unable to rectify his position.

Nobody supported him in this venture. Doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, Consultants all told him that it couldn’t be done. However, he had done his research, and was convinced it was possible. Such was the strength of the opposition that he asked a friend to assess if the actuality measured up to what he had read. His friend returned with a positive and glowing report.

Thus, the man who could do nothing, who had sat at home waiting on people to dress him or feed him, became of use to Society again. The effect on my perception of leadership was dramatic.

This outstanding effort made me study how it was done – how it was possible, with your eyes fixed on the goal, to pursue it relentlessly. He taught me

- That support should be mustered wherever possible. However, if failing to gain support, faith in your own ability must be unshakeable.

- To have a plan and to focus on that with complete concentration.

- The importance of networking. It was one of his key skills, and he demonstrated the importance of having friends when it comes to fund-raising – and brainstorming.

- He demonstrated to me that great powers of persuasion were necessary – and patience when dealing with some areas where others were unfamiliar. Time for them to catch up was essential.

- To look for every possible chink of light – and pursue it – using bargaining tools if necessary.

- Never forget to listen: and 

- Never reject what anyone else is telling you.

- Your staff will improve your systems for you, if you pay attention: if you do not blame the individual, but question your own systems and communication. 

- How to make allies were made, foster trust, establish credibility, and achieve progress.

For example, he asked the Social Work Department to assist him with his costs on the second trip to America for his “Final Fitting” in the car. (Bearing in mind that they were not “Allies” in this project, I thought he would be refused). In exchange for the subsidy, he offered to research Independent Living in Indianapolis. They were interested and his trip was subsidised.

John Major’s imagination and initiative put this goal within reach. It would never been attempted had that first encouragement not been offered by the Government.

Linda Jane McLean

Make heart to heart contact

I have been on a leadership journey, sometimes reluctantly, for much of my life (in retailing, big ticket consulting, small business, leadership programmes and executive coaching, family, amongst others). Much of that time I worked on gut instinct and would have had difficulty answering questions about the kernel of my leadership beliefs.

A few years ago I was introduced to and quickly became a member of Soka Gakkai International, a world peace and spirituality lay movement ignited by and based on Nichiren Buddhism. My leadership inspiration is a great man called Daisaku Ikeda, the worldwide leader of SGI. Through his role modelling and inspiring leadership, and from a low base and controversial start in Japan, SGI, over 50 years, he has catalysed a thriving and successful organisation of 12 million people in 192 countries.

I have never met Daisaku Ikeda, and probably never will – he is in his eighties and travels less these days. But through him and countless others who he has inspired, I have been able to crystallise my personal coda of leadership. So I hope this neither an advert for some faith group, nor a homage to a man of proven world class achievement, but a statement of my personal beliefs about what really matters in leadership at all levels and in all situations.

I think it crystallises in five beliefs and practices.

1. Try to make heart to heart contact

In the end, I believe it all comes down to relationships – winning work, inspiring action, building shared goals, parenting; they are all different sides of the many faceted crystal of life. Relationships are based on authenticity. Be it face to face or when I am in front of a group, people are literally and metaphorically looking me in the eye and asking themselves “Do I trust this guy, can I see his belief in what he is saying?” I owe it to them, therefore, to be authentic and congruent in word and deed; with luck and belief in people, I will get back what I give and so will others.

2. Look for the best in people and encourage them to do likewise

In Buddhism we call it looking for the Buddha in other people. People are inspired by others who can see in them what they are often blind to in themselves. Not false positives, but genuine potential, tempered by the blockages, inhibitors and defence mechanisms that life throws up. Not pipedreams, but genuine encouragement to aspiration based on glimpses of what they could be. For me, that requires positivity tempered by honesty – if I can’t share what I see and what my intuition is telling me, how can I expect them to get beyond their often challenging realities.

3. Have the personal courage to live your values

I wish I could say I always have... but I know that when I do, I always have a positive impact, even in adversarial conditions.

4. Recognise that others have to take personal responsibility for growth

Tempting as dependency is for someone who sells professional services, ultimately it is a recipe for comfort and vanity rather than growth. Challenge people to follow their dream, even have a dream, confront their ghosts and challenges. Be there for them, make suggestions and comments. But insist that they take responsibility – it’s their life, their business, their future. If I help, the most successful often remember...

5. Remember that leaders need followers - not sheep but partners in growth

Givers gain in life - so give feedback freely and with authenticity and ask for the same in return. In my life and increasingly that of people I meet in a networked global ecosystem, leadership is a collaborative endeavour and life a series of gigs rather than a rise to the top in a monoculture. And as people go through organisations, quality feedback is in increasingly short supply and often is substituted by a misguided collusion with “leadership” behaviour. Recognising that you need support is the first step to being able to create the heart to heart relationships that are so important to me, and being prepared to prompt mutual feedback is a critical part of that.

I’m still on my journey, and some of these have always been instincts. But the inspiration I have found from my contact with Ikeda’s organisation has enabled me to articulate them loud and proud – hopefully to good effect – in every aspect of my life.

David Hain

Helping others learn to fly

In June 1996 I arrived at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Swaleside as a new Principal Officer (middle manager) having completed nearly three years as Senior Officer (first line manager) at HMP Maidstone. This was a time of intense personal development as I had also just commenced the Diploma in Management Studies with Brunel and I was eager to try my newly learned skills in this exciting new role. At that point I saw my career in 3 to 4 years chunks with a distant possibility of becoming a Governor before I retire.

The following October a new Governor took up post at Swaleside, John Podmore and he was to have a lasting impression on my career as well as my leadership style. John influenced many areas of my leadership and management style but I particularly remember how he enabled me to see I was capable of much more than I had previously realised. John saw in me far more potential and ability than I did and he very skilfully coached me to understand what I was capable of. In time I came to understand what John saw in me and the safe but steady career ambitions I arrived with were slowly replaced with a sense of anything was possible.

In order to get the very best out of our aspiring future leaders the people who coach and mentor them must be able to properly assess their full potential and understand their capabilities. It is then possible to stretch them, widening their horizons, supporting them to grow so that they start to believe they are capable of so much more. In the wrong hands or with a less skilled coach/mentor potential future leaders can be lost which is deeply damaging to them and can deprive firms of potentially high performers. 

As I progressed through the middle management ranks at Swaleside, John continued to develop my leadership skills through carefully managed projects covering strategic, organisational and cultural issues, all the time discussing the challenges I faced and how I could progress beyond them. I have looked back on that period with colleagues who were similarly influenced by John and who also progressed to senior management and we agreed that during that time we ‘learned to fly’. I left Swaleside in 2000 having qualified with distinction in my DMS and a renewed sense of belief that I could achieve my ultimate ambition to be a Governor. 

Four years later I took up my first post as Governor of HMYOI Rochester followed by posts as Governor of Swaleside and Maidstone prisons. I am in no doubt the seeds for my future success as a Governor were sown in that time with John when with the right encouragement and care he showed me what I was capable of.

I have tried in my career as a Governor to nurture and develop talent drawing on the my experience with John at Swaleside. I have mentored a number of managers who showed considerable potential and supported them through the journey to senior positions. In order to get good people you have to let good people go and I was fortunate enough to work with people who recognised this and so I have followed this with managers I have held in high regard working for me. By encouraging their development and helping to broaden their own horizons we arrive at the point where I can do no more for them and I then support the right move to continue the journey.

Stephen O'Connell

Being an example

Katherine E. (Katie) Boyd (1921- 2009) continues to inspire my leadership.

Katie volunteered for political and public-policy causes. She was reportedly at ease in activities ranging from attending state dinners (See, for example, Guest List for the State Dinner in Honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) to handing out campaign leaflets at a commuter light-rail station. Katie was for decades perhaps the most successful fundraiser in northern California for Republican causes. She knew whom to ask, how to ask, and when not to push. She copiously sent thank-you notes. As far as I know, she did not ask for anything in return for her efforts. Also, she supported people who supported her causes.

For example, in 1989, I accepted an offer to serve as a Commissioner in the United States General Services Administration (GSA). An earthquake delayed my flying to Washington, D.C., to report for work. I called Katie. Without hesitation, she invited me to spend a night in her husband Bill's and her guest bedroom. I started the next day close to the reopening San Francisco International Airport.

Permit me to infer from patterns some principles I believe Katie exemplified:

a) Do whatever you can.
b) Ask for whatever you should.
c) Provide appreciation.
d) Support those who support your causes.
e) Try new outreach.
f) It may not be necessary to tout your role.
g) Lead by being an example.

Katie's success and practices inspired my work for (and beyond) my three plus years with GSA.

At an early staff meeting, I told leaders of our 2,000-person group that I was there to serve our country (g). Based on at least (a), (b), and (e), I introduced and advocated new or underutilized concepts. People brought many of these to fruition. In the case of one procurement improvement concept, people reminded me that the "opposite" political party controlled of Congress. During my service, I never publically mentioned that initiative (d) & (f). Today, the Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) is widely used.

Some people cautioned I should not advocate more change than appropriate. I tried to hone my leadership accordingly (b) & (d). Various career-employee leaders proposed initiatives. I endorsed many of these projects and avoided trying to have more role than that of advocate (a), (d), (f) and (g). We launched a nationwide grassroots initiative to improve governmental service to the public, even though we had neither charter nor budget to do so (a) & (e).

Principles (a) and (e) inspired my trying to establish new working relationships between GSA and other agencies. Some attempts worked. Others did not.

Years later, I send many "thank you" emails to current colleagues (c) & (g). Memories of Katie remain unique sources of inspiration.

Thomas J. Buckholtz

Beyond expectations

One of my life lessons has been patience.

In the book, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, a bored, young boy named Milo, begins a transformational journey through a phantom tollbooth that popped up in his bedroom. One of the first places he visits is the Land of Expectations. In this land he learns that “Expectations is the place you must always go to before you get to where you're going. Some people never get beyond expectations.”

This phrase hidden in a children’s book reverberated within me. I recognized it was profound although I did not fully understand it until I applied it to my mindset as a manager. My management style, sourced by my perfectionistic tendencies was to micro-manage. I was convinced that I was the only one who could get the job done in the proper way by the deadline. So I found fault with my employees and judged them because they did not meet my expectations. Where I was headed was efficiency, productivity and star performance. My expectations were that everyone had the same life lesson as me. Never had I considered going beyond expectations.

What I learned, as did Milo, was that each person on my team had lessons to learn, their own unique lessons and therefore their unique developmental paths to follow for advancement. And what each needed to grow and evolve was different from my path. I needed to learn to be more patient. So I began to look at the situation through a new lens, one that recognized and even valued how different we all are. Now I operate from a different perspective, knowing that people bring their own unique talents and gifts to bear as I do. With diversity of lessons, we have greater assets to capitalize on.

When I began respecting and appreciating my staff for who they were and not whom I thought they ought to be, the work environment became more friendly and open... and curiously, more productive. As I lived this lesson more thoroughly and practiced it more frequently, I became more patient with “foibles and faults” and even, with self-amusement I might add, began to become more patient with myself. To this day I don a big smile when someone says to me, “Thank you for your patience.”

Teri-E Belf

Thy soul, the fix'd foot

As virtuous men pass mildly away,
    And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
    "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."

So let us melt, and make no noise,
    No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;
'Twere profanation of our joys
    To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;
    Men reckon what it did, and meant ;
But trepidation of the spheres,
    Though greater far, is innocent.

Dull sublunary lovers' love
    —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove
    The thing which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,
    That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd of the mind,
    Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
    Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
    Like gold to aery thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so
    As stiff twin compasses are two ;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
    To move, but doth, if th' other do.

And though it in the centre sit,
    Yet, when the other far doth roam,
It leans, and hearkens after it,
    And grows erect, as that comes home.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
    Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,
    And makes me end where I begun.

John Donne A Valediction Forbidding Mourning (written 1611 published 1633)

I immediately thought of this poem when I was wrestling with how to communicate my sense of personal ethics to a group of learned academics attending an Ashridge conference on global leadership ethics.

The theme for the conference was the global ethical leadership compass, which started me thinking about just how poor a metaphor this is. In a navigational compass, magnetic north is slowly drifting from Canada to Siberia over disputed territory, and wanders many miles a day. It changes depending where on the planet you are standing when you take the reading, and is affected by local magnetic fields. The poles are about to swap over in any case, and, because opposites attract, magnetic north is actually more correctly the 'south' pole anyway. So it is indeed a perfect metaphor for relativism in ethics.

Then I remembered sitting in a classroom overlooking the quad at Madras College in St Andrews while the legendary Andrew O. Lindsay introduced us to the poetry of John Donne. I was particularly struck by the metaphor of the drawing compasses in this poem, and I was tickled to discover an Ashridge connection. John Donne was in fact Secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, Baron Ellesmere and the father of the first Earl of Bridgewater, who bought Ashridge from Elizabeth I in 1604. Donne was sacked from his post for secretly marrying his boss's niece and ward, Anne More ('John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-done'). Izaak Walton, a contemporary of Donne's, says that Donne wrote the Valediction in 1611, when he was leaving for France on Government business. In the poem, he talks about the compasses' fix'd foot, in his case, Anne, whose 'firmness makes my circle just.'

This is how I feel about ethics, that my leadership stems from a sense of moral rootedness. In my case, my fix'd foot is my Christian faith. When I teach ethics on the Ashridge MBA, I use this metaphor to help emerging leaders to identify their own fix'd foot, so that they might be more consciously guided by it in their decision-making.

Eve Poole

Simplicity is resolved complexity

"Simplicity is resolved complexity"

This famous aphorism from the sculptor Constantin Brancusi encapsulates for me how the simplification of forms which was crucial to him as an artist applies to the way that I seek to work with colleagues and partners.

That doesn’t mean being a solitary individualist living in a garret! Nor do you need to be a mystic. I think it’s a good rule of thumb for us all.

A successful Brancusi sculpture has coherence but also precision. It is the product of persistence and an understanding of the material - the way in which it has been constructed reflects whether it is wood or bronze or stone. There is respect for difference in seeking out the essence which can then be captured and described in a way that connects with others.

I should own up at this point to being a bit of a wonk. Yes, I’ve worked on developing policy and legislation and intellectual coherence has been a value in many of the organisations in which I’ve worked. But I believe that the fundamental journey followed by Brancusi in creating a sculpture is very similar to the one that we follow when confronted by the need to make sense of what can often appear close to chaos.

The great truth that I think Brancusi expresses is that there is a nub, something at the heart of the issue that can, often through sheer perspiration, be identified and that doing so releases the energy and the creativity to take things forward. Often it’s not easy and describing the steps on the way and giving people the confidence to take them is one of your main roles. Sometimes nerve needs to be held in the face of external pressures.  But you tend to know when you have arrived; things seem clearer and the foundations on which to build can be discerned. At that point the journey back to simplicity accelerates.

A perfectly formed Brancusi sculpture is a prize worth all of the effort and the energy involved in its creation. I wish I could afford one but the systems diagram for that conundrum needs a little more work.

Kevin Lloyd

Margaret Thatcher & personal responsibility

After much thought, the first leader who motivated and inspired me was Margaret Thatcher.  The most significant words from Mrs. Thatcher are actually the ones which are most often wrongly quoted by her opponents even today.

It was when she said 'there is no such thing as society'. To put that into context, she was responding to a journalist interviewing her about crime and violence. The interviewer said 'isn't our society to blame for all this crime and violence' to which she responded 'No, there is no such thing as society, just individual people who are responsible for their own actions' or words to that effect.

I absolutely believe in taking full responsibility for my own actions and have carried this through into my own business and other organisation which I have been involved in.  This has lead to a genuine 'no blame culture'.

Everybody makes mistakes and obviously most of the time they really didn't mean to.  In my business if something goes wrong my attitude is that it is the systems's fault and therefore my responsibility. I set up the system and therefore something is missing from that system which could have prevented the mistake. So, together we fix the system and the individual who made the mistake knows that they are not to blame.

Even if somebody makes the same mistake again I don't blame them. What good would that do.  You can't change the past, you can only change the future. Together with the person who has made the mistake twice we come up with a fail safe and change the system again. The system is at fault, not the person.

Mark Orr

Up the organisation

My views of leadership were strongly influenced by Robert Townsend in the late 1970’s when I worked in car hire management. (Robert was more successful than me.) My favourite observations from his book (Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits):

True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders. How do you spot a leader? They come in all ages, shapes, sizes and conditions. Some are poor administrators, some are not overly bright. One clue:  since most people are mediocre, the true leader cans be recognised because, somehow or other, his/her people consistently turn in superior performances.

Townsend then quotes Peter and Hull “As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best the people honour and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next the people hate….” (The Peter Principle) And in translation from Lao-tsu “When the best leaders work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!' "

My favourite Townsend quote is:

"No-No’s Reserved Parking Spaces: If you’re so bloody important you better be the first on in the office. Besides, you’ll meet a nice class of people in the employee’s parking lot"

This has got me into trouble more than once with senior managers!

Below is given a clue as to why Townsend might still be considered a great leader:

Robert Townsend (1920–1998) was an American business executive and author who transformed Avis into a rental car giant. After WW2, he was hired by American Express in 1948 where he became senior vice president for investment and international banking. Then in 1962, Lazard Freres bought Avis, a struggling rental company that had never made a profit in its existence. “One of the partners, André Meyer, convinced Townsend to leave American Express and become CEO of Avis. Under his direction as president and chairman, the firm became a credible force in the industry, fuelled by the “We Try Harder” advertising campaign (1962–65). Avis also began to have profits, which Townsend credited to Theory Y governance. In 1965, ITT acquired Avis, leading to his departure as president. After leaving Avis, he became a senior partner of Congressional Monitor (1969). He wrote the widely acclaimed essay on business management "Up the Organization", which spent 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list upon its publication in 1970.” (Wikipedia)

Roger Nield