Winning At Service - Lessons From Service Leaders

This book reveals the Secrets to Service Success by analyzing four service companies
that grew from small beginnings to the leaders in their industries. Interviews with the four CEOs who guided the companies to their success reveal the three basic principles they all share. The CEOs interviewed are Thomas Berglund of Securitas and J. Philip Sorensen of Group4Falck, the world's two largest security companies, Francis Mackay of Compass plc and Pierre Bellon of Sodexho Alliance, the world's two largest food service companies.

Waldemar Schmidt, Executive-in-Residence, IMD, Lausanne. Before becoming Executive-in-Residence at IMD, Waldemar Schmidt was CEO of ISS, the world's leading facilities support services group with 26 5000 employees in 35 countries. To cap his career accomplishments he now serves on the supervisory boards of 12 European companies and serves as chairman of 5 of them.

Gordon Adler, Senior Writer, IMD, Lausanne. In addition to serving as IMD's Senior Writer, Gordon Adler also works as an editor and communications consultant/writing coach at a number of international companies. A freelance writer, he recently co-authored a book about family business, and has published in leading journals and magazines.

Els van Weering, Research Associate and Project Manager at IMD, Lausanne, creates case studies for IMD's executive education programmes. Her areas of special expertise include corporate learning, international growth, entrepreneurship in large corporations, talent retention, strategy and leadership.

Foreword.

Acknowledgements.

1 Introduction.

The Investigation.

The Framework.

How this Book is Organized.

2 The Journey to Leadership.

The Challenge.

Four Journeys to Leadership.

Signposts 2002.

Four Companies: Four Winning Traits.

3 Pick Your Game and Play it.

Decide What You Want to Do.

Follow a Simple, Replicable Business Model.

Use Simple, Transparent Performance Measures.

Questions for Service Leaders.

4 Leadership at the Heart.

Visionary Industry Shapers.

Passionate and Inspirational Leaders.

True Entrepreneurs.

Intimate Business Knowledge.

Questions for Service Leaders.

5 Passion for People.

Recruit.

Integrate and Develop.

Retain.

Build Partnerships with Unions and Works Councils.

Questions for Service Leaders.

6 Keep It Simple.

Flat Organization and Decentralized Decision-Making.

Small Head Office.

Questions for Service Leaders.

7 Winning at Service: Final Words.

Win by Relinquishing Power.

Win with the Right Outlook.

Win at Golf: Play with a Full Bag.

Win by Turning Non-Core into Core.

Can all Companies Win?

Assa Abloy: Lessons from a Non-Service Winner.

How Large Can Winners Be?

Appendix.

Index.