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What Really Matters: Service, Leadership, People, and Values [Hardcover]

John Pepper (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 16, 2007
The fundamental question in business and in personal life is the same: What really matters? In this book one of America’s most widely admired business leaders distills a lifetime of experience, including failures as well as successes, to reveal his answers.
John Pepper, president, CEO, and chairman of Procter & Gamble for a combined 16 years, underscores the importance of continuous change, innovation, and renewal as prerequisites for growth and sound leadership. In What Really Matters he suggests that a preparedness to alter perspective, rethink assumptions, or change course is central not only to understanding customer needs and keeping costs under control but also to developing talent, organizing global businesses, and supporting communities. While he discusses specific business tactics, he notes that they all center on fundamental tenets: listen to and respect the customer, engender personal accountability and passionate ownership, encourage diversity, and create a vibrant, trusting institution that incorporates employees and their families. In his own years as an executive, Pepper has demonstrated that a profitable business can create and sustain a culture that shapes—and is shaped by—ethical behavior. His profoundly important advice and counsel belong in the lexicon and practice of every leader.
(20061227)

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What Really Matters: Service, Leadership, People, and Values + Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble + The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"What Really Matters really is what one learns from touching lives, improving life, as John Pepper did with Procter and Gamble."-Tim Love, Vice-Chairman, Omnicom Group (Tim Love 20061227)

"John Pepper has been an inspiration to countless people around the world. What Really Matters captures his contagious optimism and positive presence, and lays out lessons for living and leadership from which we all can learn."-A.G. Lafley, Chairman and CEO, Procter and Gamble (A.G. Lafley 20061227)

"No one should accept a position of responsibility without reading this book. John Pepper provides ground-zero real-world insights into managing the dilemmas that confront every leader-including ethical dilemmas. The business world might be quite different today if this book had been required reading for those CEOs of the past decade who lost their way."-Norman R. Augustine, Retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Former Undersecretary of the Army, Former Chairman of the American Red Cross. (Norman R. Augustine 20061227)

"What Really Matters is a wonderful antidote for executives who make excuses for their bad behaviors: 'it's complicated out there;' 'the pressures are enormous;' etc., etc. In practical, clear, and compelling terms, John Pepper lays out how to lead with integrity, humility, and -not instead of -effectiveness."-Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto (Roger Martin 20061227)

"John Pepper's What Really Matters may been written for a Procter and Gamble audience, but it should be read by other companies and business school, as well as those in government. Not only was John Pepper an extraordinarily creative CEO at P&G, but he also has an unusual ability to communicate what I call 'character-based leadership.'"-David M. Abshire, President and CEO, the Center for the Study of the Presidency (David M. Abshire 20061227)

"An exceptional roadmap, built from experience, for success in business and life."-Richard Ferris, Retired Co-chairman, Doubletree Corporation (Richard Ferris 20061227)

"An insightful and wonderful book about business and life originally directed to Procter and Gamble employees. What Really Matters is a book that every business man must read."-Domenico De Sole, Retired President and CEO, Gucci Group, NV (Domenico De Sole 20061227)

"John Pepper has again demonstrated his awesome leadership skills, people sensitivity, personal values, and focus on the delivery of real value to the consumer"-Donald R. Beall, Retired Chairman and CEO, Rockwell (Donald R. Beall 20061227)

"What Really Matters is a deeply personal, almost spiritual, set of reflections focused on the human side of enterprise. John Pepper presents a collection of principled values and short stories that focus on individual contributors and team-based behaviors that at the core reflect humility and pride, stewardship and service, loyalty and devotion, all shaped and guided by a shared sense of purpose that binds together a very special global community of winners who are privileged to call themselves P&Gers."-Pete Nicholas, CEO, Boston Scientific Corporation (Pete Nicholas )

"This is an honest and generous personal account of an inspiring career by a great business leader who also has served a range of other good causes so well. I hope many young people will read and benefit from this excellent book."-Ernesto Zedillo, Director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Member of the P&G Board, Former President of Mexico (Ernesto Zedillo )

"John Pepper proves that leading a good life and leading a great company require the same personal attributes: vision, perseverance, kindness, and the capacity to change. This is a wise and inspiring book."-Richard Levin, President, Yale University (Richard Levin )

About the Author

John Pepper is chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Company and chief executive officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Previously, he served as vice president of finance and administration at
Yale University and in various executive positions at Procter & Gamble, including chairman of the board and chief executive officer. He is married, has four children, and lives in Wyoming, OH.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st Yale University Press Ed edition (May 16, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300123523
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300123524
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.1 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I inherited this book from my recently deceased father (a retired P&G officer), and will soon pass it to my son to help guide him in his beginning business career. Good stuff. I remember the paper products wars in which my father engaged and Mr. Pepper recollects, and have met John and his wife (oddly, not through a company connection). We have little time to "make a difference," as my father drilled into my head, and that drive is part of the P&G tradition Mr. Pepper articulates so well here. What you do matters - a lot - and service can wear many faces. This book might be a little dry reading in parts for those not in the P&G loop (although no more than any general business text), but the principles are nonetheless timeless, and well suitable for digestion by any executive, business person, - or worker bee (like me!) for that matter.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this long and winding walk thru the modern history of P&G, via the personal learnings of life-long P&G executive John Pepper, the reader is given a glimpse of the Proctor & Gamble Way - the mutual interdependency of personal and business interests.

While the book is presented as a three part discussion of...
* How companies succeed - by creating and sustaining leadership brands, letting the consumer decide, and going for big wins; all of which is primarily a marketing story
* How companies can stay in the lead - by creating organizational qualities; thru values, practices and relationships that support the brands and develop a vibrant community with employees.
* How we live our lives - through intimacy with consumers, competitors and colleagues that builds and sustains passionate ownership amidst a culture of trust and high expectations.
..., it really is an integrated picture of how P&G's guiding purpose, principles and values work to support its position as one of best, if not the leading consumer products company in the world.

Although the book is filled with P&G stories to demonstrate and emphasize its messages, it is not a fast or simple read. It reads a bit like the memoirs of John Pepper, who comes across as a person of integrity, demonstrating P&G's desired 'passion for winning', while showing his learning and caring aspirations. The later is best shown thru a quote of his favorite text of the Talmud: "You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." I found the book interesting, but beyond recommending it to P&G employees or alumni and business school graduates interested in working for P&G, I am not sure of just who else might find it interesting.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A Must Read June 14, 2007
Format:Hardcover
This is a must read for anyone interested in achieving excellence in business, understanding the role service plays in all we do, and appreciating the things in our lives that truly matter. Fundamental lessons such as "perserving the core while being willing to change everything else" make this book both informative and meaningful.

John Pepper is in a league of his own when it comes to CEO leadership. There are not many like him (if any at all) and his ability to express the importance of putting people first - both those around him as well as those his company seeks to serve - is unique and uplifting.

This book is about a good man who helped make his company one of the most successful in the world. It's authentic and original. A must read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
an outstanding book, from an outstanding person
I had the privilege to meet John Pepper twice: in 1998 and in 1999 (I served as P&G employee in Marketing between 1996 - 2010). Read more
Published 1 month ago by Eugeniu D. MIHAI
Good advice for anyone about what you do, what you love, what you hope...
John Pepper is a remarkable man who shares his advice and his experiences and dreams
with all of us, and we can all benefit from his writings. Read more
Published on October 29, 2009 by Harold E. Grupe Jr.
The Ultimate Lesson in Leadership!
John E. Pepper is, without question, one of the most - if not THE most - successful CEOs in history. It's hard to think of another CEO with Mr. Read more
Published on January 4, 2009 by Todd Sebastian
What a Character
He asked ME what I wanted him to talk about. I sat in awe and fumbled for words. He just wrote a book. Read more
Published on November 27, 2007 by Kevin M. Carroll
It really matters that you read this book
This is no doubt one of the best business book I've read this year. Even after reading the first chapter, I knew I had to give it 5 stars. Read more
Published on November 16, 2007 by Parka
An insightful and enjoyable read
John Pepper has produced a genuine and candid work. His true colors shine through, forcing the reader to care about him and grow a respect based on more than just his business... Read more
Published on September 27, 2007 by C. W. Gerard
Good business read
We used this book for our company's book of the month club. It is a wonderful a tool for any company. Read more
Published on September 25, 2007 by C. Boyer
Everyone should read this book.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in personal and professional growth.

Written with a pull-you-in blend of candor, warmth and honesty, this book is a treasure of... Read more
Published on July 30, 2007 by Lisa Popyk
Outstanding book by one of Cincinnati's icons
John Pepper is an icon in the Cincinnati community for many reasons, one of them of course being the past CEO of Procter & Gamble, itself such a huge institution and pillar of... Read more
Published on July 27, 2007 by Paul Allaer
Authentic & Inspiring
John Pepper shares his genuine perspective on What Really Matters... in life and on the job. His approach to leadership and building businesses and people is inspiring -- his... Read more
Published on June 18, 2007 by Diana Shaheen
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
let the consumer decide, passionate ownership, personal model for living, laundry brand, shaped diaper, leadership brands, informed passion, trade customers, passionate sense
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, The Power of Community, John Smale, Creating Leadership Brands, Passionate Sense of Ownership, Old Spice, North America, Yale University, Some Questions, The Rewards of Doing Good, The Lesson, United Way, The Benefits of Diversity, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Middle East, Spin Brush, Ultra Thin, Wolfgang Berndt, African American, United Kingdom, Family Affair, Boston Scientific, Leo Burnett, Total Effects, Howard Morgens
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