And Dignity for All: Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership [Paperback]

James Despain (Author), Jane Bodman Converse (Author), Ken Blanchard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131005324 | ISBN-13: 978-0131005327 | Publication Date: February 14, 2003

And Dignity for All is about leading with values, leading by example, and - in so doing - unleashing the astonishing commitment and innovation that are buried within your organization right now. Discover how Jim Despain and his colleagues used values-based management to transform Caterpillar's Track-Type Tractors Division into one of the firm's key profit centers. Jim's honesty and ability to rise from the ashes of his mistakes are inspirational. His respect for the common worker and personal search for dignity and self-worth lead him to a new kind of leadership. And his transformation of a struggling organization provides a powerful blueprint for transforming your own - you can make it happen, too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ending the struggle between workers and bosses is the agenda of this frank but tendentious memoir-cum-manifesto by former Caterpillar vice-president Despain, who worked his way up from floor-sweeper to VP and general manager of the tractor division where he started. In his climb up the corporate ladder, Despain gained an intimate knowledge of the ongoing shop-floor strife between arrogant, abusive managers and recalcitrant, feather-bedding union workers. But in an overseas posting, he got a look at Japanese factories where harmony and mutual respect reigned, and he later triumphed by inspiring unskilled but eager Mexican workers with his quality-boosting "excellencia" system. Recalled to run Caterpillar's ailing Peoria complex, Despain instituted a new management "vision" emphasizing "people-based versus power-based principles" built on values like trust, teamwork and empowerment, which he credits with restoring profitability and morale after the bitter 1994 strike that ended with the union returning to work without a contract. Despain offers many valuable first-hand insights into workplace conflicts, and he is unusually forthright in placing unions, a topic that many management theorists side-step, at the center of his discussion of labor-management relations. But his treatment is one-sided; while he even-handedly condemns excesses on both sides of the labor-management divide, his tacit conclusion is that it is the union that must give way to management's high-minded human-relations initiatives. His call for labor-management solidarity is laudable, but some workers may see it as the velvet glove on the mailed fist.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

"This might very well be the best management book you will ever read!" —from the Foreword by Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager

Caterpillar, Inc.'s Track-Type Tractors Division was in deep trouble. It was losing lots of money, and working there was extremely undesirable. But Jim Despain and his colleagues rebuilt the division based on values of respect, empowerment, civility, and openness.

This is the story of how one street-smart boy without a college education became a seasoned leader. Truly a modern-day Horatio Alger story. His honesty and ability to rise from the ashes of his mistakes are inspirational. His respect for the common worker and personal search for dignity and self-worth lead him to a new kind of leadership. And his transformation of a struggling organization provides a powerful blueprint for transforming your own. Jim Despain and his colleagues unleashed a torrent of innovation that transformed a seriously unprofitable division into one of the company's most important profit centers.

It wasn't easy; it wasn't all sweetness and light. Ask the many managers he reassigned in a single day.

But for the 3,000 men and women of today's Track-Type Tractors Division of Caterpillar Inc., it was the dawn of a new era, in which good people find joy and nobility in their work, new freedom to be creative-and astonishing power to succeed.

* Shared values: your #1 differentiator The simple reality: nothing inspires commitment like honesty and integrity * Leadership based on trust, not power Transform the managers, and the organization will follow * Walking the walk If you don't mean it, don't even bother * The right behavior gets the right results Focus on people, and the numbers follow * Real lessons you can start using today Bringing values-based management home-and making it stick

How a Tractor Company Changed Its Tracks

"This might very well be the best management book you ever read. I know it will help you unleash the power and potential of your human organization."—Ken Blanchard, co-author, The One Minute Manager

"They say people can't change, but this book will convince you it's not true. I saw the Values Process described in this book change Jim and his team from autocratic managers to real leaders. And I saw their business improve far beyond anyone's expectations. This book proves what we know in our hearts-that trusting and respecting people makes good business sense."—Gerald L. Shaheen, Group President, Caterpillar Inc.

An extraordinary story of corporate and personal transformation.

• Leading with integrity: why the right way to lead is also the most effective
• Values-based management: one of the toughest things you'll ever do
• Walking the walk: going beyond mere "vision statements"
• What values-based leadership looks like: 100 behaviors that work

And Dignity for All is about becoming a leader with integrity: one who leads by example and builds an organization around a vision and values that others are proud to share.

As Ken Blanchard observes in his enthusiastic foreword, this is two books in one. It's the story of Jim Despain's remarkable personal journey from floorsweeper at Caterpillar to corporate vice president, and from self-serving, "command-and-control" boss to inspirational leader. And it's also a complete blueprint for translating simple ideas like respect, empowerment, civility, and open dialogue into a corporate culture that works.

Sounds like mush? It isn't. Despain used these techniques to transform a struggling manufacturing division into a thriving enterprise with exemplary labor-management relations and stellar numbers. With his guidance, you can make equally profound and lasting changes in your own organization.

More Endorsements"I highly recommend Jim Despain's book, ...And Dignity for All, to anyone who aspires to reach his or her dreams. It is an excellent story that clearly outlines how important it is to take risks, face your fears, and overcome any obstacles to reach success. This book allows readers to reflect on how they can transform their lives into something they never thought could be imaginable."Through my personal experience as a former high school teacher and as a leader in the United States Congress, I have learned to recognize the qualities of a great leader. While serving in these capacities, I have come to understand the truth behind the saying, 'leaders aren't born, they are made.' This message is conveyed throughout the book as Jim Despain tells a story about his transformational journey through life that helped him develop into a charismatic and effective leader. It is a story about how he worked his way up the ranks in a high-profile company named Caterpillar, always with steady focus and with fierce determination that allowed him to overcome any challenge that came his way. Furthermore, it shows how Jim Despain inspired his workforce to put aside their differences and trust one another in order to pursue a more efficient, positive working environment. "It was encouraging to read about Jim growing up in a small mining town in Illinois. He never received a college degree, but still managed to develop into one of the more respected, inspirational leaders and role models within the Caterpillar organization. This book reinforced my belief that each individual is responsible for the outcome of their own future—that success isn't always handed to a person on a silver platter, but rather earned through hard work and determination. "I am thankful Jim Despain shared his personal story so that others might have the chance to understand what it takes to be a successful leader and, above all, how to make any career aspiration come true."—J. Dennis Hastert Speaker of the House

"Jim Despain's account of his progression from broom sweeper to top manager at Caterpillar Inc. is a great story—particularly for these times—about the right way to improve your corporate culture and your business success."—The Honorable Bob MichelFormer Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives

"Jim Despain pulls off this business memoir beautifully. It is a rare and honest look at what it was like for a low-level employee to struggle and overcome obstacles in a not-always-friendly corporate environment. Jim's climb up the ladder is inspiring. Start-up employees as well as executives should read this book carefully."—Robert SlaterAuthor, Jack Welch and the GE Way

"The cry for corporate integrity is greater today than ever before. ...And Dignity for All shows us how to succeed with integrity, not just succeed. It is a compelling case study of a wonderful journey toward individual transition and corporate transition."—Marshall GoldsmithFounding Director of the Financial Times Knowledge Dialogue and the Alliance for Strategic Leadership and author of 14 books, including The Leader of the Future (a BusinessWeek best-seller)

"This is absolutely the most inspiring story about corporate leadership that I have read in the past 15 years! If you want to understand how to turn on employees and turn up profits, Jim Despain's real life journey from floor sweeper to vice president of a $20 billion company is a must read. Every chapter is filled with important insights for transforming any business into a great company. So refreshing. Almost makes life worth living." —Eric StephanBYU, Marriott School of Business and author of Powerful Leadership

"I met Jim and his management team during the deployment stage of their Common Values process. At first, I thought the effort was superficial and a 'program of the day' activity. I was wrong. There is no question this division accomplished an effective, almost unbelievable transformation. Their ability to maintain the gains from our work with them (or their Class A achievement) is clear evidence."—Jim CorrellChairman, Oliver Wight Americas

"...And Dignity for All is not only a compelling story, it is a blueprint for how to succeed in any business. Using the values process described in this book, we took a similar journey and achieved consistent, extraordinary performance. Whether you are in a product business or in a service business like we are, the job of leaders everywhere is to serve and honor people. When people feel good about themselves, each other, and their place of employment, performance always gets better." —W. Michael BryantPresident and CEO, Methodist Health Services

"What an incredible book—a page turner! Jim Despain learned values-based leadership not by idealizing, but rather by experiencing what no longer works in business and inventing and implementing what does work. A must read for anyone attempting to deliver extraordinary results today." —Michael BaschCo-founder of FedEx and author of CustomerCulture

"Mr. Despain's book allows the reader to take himself/herself, the enterprise, far, far, far beyond the 'talk.' It allows the reader, should he/she have the moxie and the energy, to inculcate a system of organizational behavior that will (in actuality, not in theory) produce nothing less than outstanding organizational results."Beware: the practical application of the concepts contained in this book is not for the faint of heart. I dare say it will constitute the most challenging action you will have ever taken and, should you succeed, produce the greatest reward you have ever achieved." —P. Joseph O'NeillPresident, G&D Transportation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: FT Press (February 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131005324
• ISBN-13: 978-0131005327
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Facile Approach to Understanding Organizational Values, April 21, 2003

By 

"jdpirko" (Falls Church, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And Dignity for All: Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership (Paperback)

This book has it all: dying dogs, human cruelty, labor-management violence, rags-to-riches success, even Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor. The only thing missing from this Dickensian novelette is a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. One has to wonder why Despain, whose management insights were so far superior to the rest of the dictatorial and mean-spirited management team, took so long to ?engage? his workforce by treating people decently. Oddly, only when Despain?s career was threatened by terrible financial performance did he force a change toward a kinder, gentler approach?and that was as a last resort. Then he embarked on a cultural revolution second only to Chairman Mao?s, with statements of how to behave and a purge of all the managers who just couldn?t get it. (Does Despain?s management purge sound a little like the Japanese practice of creating ?window men??people who remain employed by the company but are shamed by being assigned positions where all they can do is look out the window?) Despain?s book tells first how he got his values and then how he used top management to prescribe ?common values.? His approach includes hiring a marketing firm to lead the internal propaganda campaign to force the values down into the workforce. Despain?s and Converse?s belief is that if it?s in print and on four-color posters, the values must be real and must increase performance. This maudlin book is facile in dealing with the complex culture problems faced by organizations today. But if you?re looking for simple-minded solutions to organizational problems, then read this book and hire a marketing firm to solve your problems. But if you?re looking for serious inquiry into values in organizations, check out Kotter and Heskett?s Corporate Culture and Performance, Rollins? and Roberts? Work Culture, Organizational Performance, and Business Success or Chakraborty?s Management by Values: Toward Cultural Congruence.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Community of Butterflies in East Peoria, July 19, 2003

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: And Dignity for All: Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership (Paperback)

We all know that what we (really really) believe and believe in determines what our values are; they in turn determine at least our conscious behavior. (It is human nature to resent being required to act against our beliefs and our values. Some people have died rather than doing so.) If you agree with me so far, then perhaps you will agree that the meaning of "values-based leadership" depends almost entirely on what a given leader believes. Moreover, her or his leadership behavior will be determined by those values. They could include greed, arrogance, and contempt for others or generosity, humility, and respect for others. All this seems pretty basic, indeed obvious to me. Throughout history, the range of leaders is wide and diverse. Evil leaders in the 20th century obviously include Hitler and Stalin. Other leaders contemporary with them obviously include Churchill. All three had very strong beliefs, were committed to quite specific values, and behaved accordingly. I mention all this by way of suggesting the context of the remarks which follow.

What we have here is a profile-narrative (rather than a biography) which focuses on the life and career of James Despain up to, of course, the completion of this book's manuscript. Like most of those who read this book, Despain's parents and childhood experiences had a significant impact on his values as he worked his way through the Caterpillar organization, rising to a senior-level executive position while marrying and then starting a family along the way. Of special interest and value to me are the the lessons he learned during his attempts to change the culture of the workplace in which he and his associates struggled to achieve the objective set for them by management. In time, he became an important part of the same management structure (in and of itself a culture resistant to change) and learned other lessons from his involvement with it.

The Appendix (pages 189-198) offers a series of summaries of key points. As Despain learned to his dismay, frustration, and occasional disappointment, it is far easier to formulate lists such as "Our Common Values" and "Our Common Values Leadership Guide" than it is to (a) achieve a consensus of agreement on the points listed, (b) effectively engage everyone in a collaborative commitment to the values, and finally (c) to sustain that shared commitment over an extended period of time, especially when there are serious problems to be solved. My own rather extensive experience with culture change has convinced me (and perhaps Despain) that the single greatest barrier is what Jim O'Toole characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom."

Although there are no cutting-edge ideas in this book, it does offer a comprehensive explanation of how and why effective leadership focuses on people; also and more importantly, how and why the process of value-based leadership -- if the values affirm trust, mutual respect, teamwork, empowerment, prudent risk taking, a sense of urgency, continuous improvement, and commitment to the highest quality of customer service -- can enable any organization (regardless of size or nature) to achieve "unbelievable, sustainable performance and the personal joy it brings." I agree with Despain that value-based leadership so defined can thus unlock greatness in every individual and thereby ensure dignity for all.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach: What Managers Must Do to Achieve a High Achievement Culture, O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Values-Based Leadership, Ronald Heifetz's Leadership Without Easy Answers, and Danny Cox's Leadership When the Heat's On (Second Edition).

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars James E. Despain was a Body Guarded, Union Busting Dictator, June 10, 2003

By 

Greg - The Big Kahuna (Peoria, Illinois , ---Home Of Caterpillar, Inc.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And Dignity for All: Unlocking Greatness with Values-Based Leadership (Paperback)

In my opinion, You should "BUY THIS BOOK" because this is a "GREAT BOOK" of what "Should and Could be", and an Excellent "LIFE VALUES (Common Values) BASED Leadership Book". However, it DOES NOT portray True Facts of how Despain managed the East Peoria Plant, are "Nothing" like what Despain said in the book and my facts can be verified and backed up. Throughout this entire book, it talks about "Excellencia Performances and Situations", supposedly, managed by a Great People Person Leader (Despain), of which the East Peoria Plant was managed exactly the opposite. In East Peoria it was "Despain's Way" or "The Highway". I really believe Despain wanted the East Peoria Plant operated in a "Fair and have Dignity for All, Environment", yet Despain ruled as Iron Fisted Dictator with such a ferocious fist, that if you got in his way, his "AX" beheaded the best and the brilliant. It was truly "Despain's (his) Way or the Highway".

In Chapter 16, "The Struggle is On", Despain never mentions the "Breaking of the Union". Despain was --"Well Noted"-- for breaking the back of the Union in East Peoria by hiring Vance Security Guards during the strike and having 2 - 4 body guards most of the time (24-hours a day) during the 17 month 1994-1995 Union strike, and these Thugs continued to body guard him after the strike was over?? He even had guards at his house!!! These guys looked like HULK HOGAN!! This was not even mentioned in the book!! These body guards, along with around 200 other thugs hired by Caterpillar, Inc., intimidated, threatened and used bodily force to FORCE the Union People to COOPERATE in the 1994-1995 strike. Why didn't he mention the Thugs in his book, he helped hire them?? If everything was the way the book portrayed, why did he need protection? Vice President Robert Dryden did not ever have any body guards, to my knowledge, and Mr. Dryden managed manufacturing bldg's & shops, adjacent to Mr. Despain's shops, in the same East Peoria Plant in Building KK.

I believe this book reflected Bob Gordon's feelings and it is Bob Gordon who was the "Brilliant One" that Originated "The Common Values", Despain even admits this in "Gordo's Group Vision" on page 135-136. I should know, I worked for both of them. Gordon wanted to exemplify, bring out and identify the Brilliant, the Individual Thinkers, Entrepreneurs, Self Starters, and truly your Future Leaders and Superstars. But what actually took place, was opposite of this book. I believe Despain used this tactic, of the "Common Values", by this despotic dictator, to "Identify or Bring out the names of these free thinkers and individuals so he could eliminate and dispose of, what he thought was, his foes, as he broke the Union and all the free spirit of which he was trying to promote!

The descriptions and representations, throughout this book, are figments of a man's imagination, and are truly "NOT" representative of what actually took place within the walls of the East Peoria Plant, but what kind of place Despain wanted, in my opinion.

On pages 136, 191 and many others it talks of "Risk Taking" and mistakes should not be punished but made learning experiences. If his feelings toward Risk Taking were like he said in his book, why would he terminate an employee after this employee saved him an annual $1,000,000.00 cost savings/reductions by re-writing his computer manufacturing complexes in the East Peoria Tractor facility. These Common Values and value-based leaderships, described in his material, are "Great" if they are in the proper hands, however, they were never implemented, as far as I could see.

I was in the middle of my Residency for my Ph.D. at the U of I, with five classes to go, when he fired me, with no warning, no meeting, no conversation, no nothing! Is this the "Common Values" and "Values Leadership" that Despain talks about in his book? Despain, says, "There should never be any punishment for making a mistake"!! Isn't termination punishment?? Despain never one time talked with me or told me I was doing poorly, let alone enough to terminate me, because he gave me free rein to do what I thought best, just like the 1 million dollar cost savings.

Is this what Despain meant when he said we were given the freedom to do what we thought we needed to do, then terminate you without any communication, after 22 years of service to Caterpillar? These "Common Values" were ONLY COMMON to Despain!!

I felt Mr. Despain was A "True Iron Fisted", "My Way or the Highway" Despotic Dictator. I give this book 1 Star for its intent to promote "Common Values", but it truly has many "Fictional Parts"!