I first met Joe Klein … CEO at Klein Steel … in a session I ran for CEOs called … Leading with the Brain in Mind. I threw a brief mentally kinesthetic contest half way through the session ... that nobody ever wins and Joe won the thing… hands down … in seconds. That’s why it didn’t surprise me to hear that Joe’s steel industry made number 9 place in
As I have followed this ever changing steel industry ... I have been intrigued with 20 amazing brain based tactics ... that keep Joe’s business at the top. Joe Klein …
1. Dreams about how to become the best
2. Shifts to niches that other fail to fill
3. Alters his market for common Klein products that others also produce in abundance
4. Listens to customers at every level
5. Guides customers to efficient use of new materials to bring them back
6. Focuses on specialty -- shaping steel, aluminum and fiberglass in ways manufactures can use it to make other products
7. Held the vision of his father who founded Klein… but adds his strengths to keep it current
8. Continually ekes out growth areas in the markets
9. Sustain dramatic market share growth through employee growth
10. Shifted focus from selling complete products to selling products for others to market
11. Defies the business stagnation that holds
12. Sees the possibilities in national manufacturing growth … rather than the dim view held in Upstate New York’s sluggishness.
13. Prepares more of his firm's own final parts in custom ways for clients’ needs
14. Jumps at the challenge of complex demands from customers which requires more and more skill to produce
15. Gets involved in the community in new school innovations and methods to help disadvantaged
16. Speaks out against the shackled and shocking political systems that has tainted business progress in Upstate
17. Loves his community and yet threatens to leave it … along with so many who’ve left … if forced to do so … because of continued lack of growth.
18. Looks to great minds … such as Dr. Edward Deming … and Peter Drucker for inspiration to lead
19. Speaks out against people like US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld… who is a menace to the world as Joe sees it.
20. Hikes… meditates and reads as ways to rebuild his own strengths into surefire skills to lead one of the fastest growing industries in
Can you see brain based tactics here that worked to edge in Joe’s business to the top … that could also work to reboot yours?
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Finally! We have needed someone as brilliant and 'earth-shattering' as Joe Klein to step up to the plate or podium, as the case may be, and say what's on his mind!!
This article doesn't endorse his 'award-winning' acceptance speech,
but I, for one, whole-heartedly agree with the guy!
You GO Joe!!!!!
Posted by: Judy | October 19, 2006 9:39 AM | Permalink to Comment