10 Truths About Leadership Copyright © 2007 by Pete Luongo. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any fashion, print, facsimile, or electronic, or by any method yet to be developed, without express permission of the copyright holder.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Luongo, Pete 1934–
10 truths about leadership: it’s not just about winning / by Pete Luongo.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-57860-302-2 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-57860-302-1 (alk. paper)
1. Leadership. 2. Respect for persons 3. Integrity.
4. Performance standards. 5. Employee empowerment.
I. Title. II. Title: Ten truths about leadership.
HD57.7L865 2007
658.4’092—dc22
2007013384
For further information, contact the publisher:
 |
CLERISY PRESSP. O. BOX 8874CINCINNATI, OHIO 45208–0874 |
Edited by Richard Hunt
Cover and interior designed by Angela Wilcox
Distributed by Publishers Group West
First edition, fourth printing 2010
PRINTED in China
Dedication
To the University of Dayton: its scholars, professors, administration, and especially the priests and brothers of the Society of Mary. It was during those formative years as a student that I learned we are ultimately judged by our willingness to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. Upon retirement I’ve returned to this wonderful university, working with numerous groups and boards. It is my hope that I can extend to others the same chance to succeed. It’s a very special time in my life and I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back to such an extraordinary place, and help perpetuate our university’s mission of learn, lead, and serve.
Acknowledgments
I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the following people for their encouragement and support as I was writing this book, as well as their positive influence in all phases of my life. Remarkably, through the artistic talents of Richard Launius, the likenesses of a few of these special people grace the pages of this book.
Dan Graham (appearing), eighth president of The Berry Company. His character, commitment, and competitiveness made him special.
Kathy-Geiger Schwab (appearing), executive vice president of The Berry Company. Her counsel and insights were invaluable.
Debbie Luongo (appearing), my wife of 38 years. Her love, support, and encouragement have allowed me to pursue my dreams.
Jerry Cheadle (appearing), group president, AT&T Yellow Pages. A caring leader whose capacity to grow a business enriched me.
Richard Launius (appearing), vice president, systems, AT&T. A great caricaturist who unselfishly gave of his time to provide the illustrations for this book.
Peter and Matt Luongo (appearing). Our sons have given us an enormous sense of pride as Debbie and I have watched them grow into outstanding young men.
Elmer Smith (appearing), retired president of The Berry Company. If not for his friendship and support for more than 33 years, I would not have written this book.
To John Snyder, Mark Lane, Anita Moore, Bill Ferguson, Randolph Melichar, Greg Meineke and so many others who allowed me to be part of their lives; they’ve become an enormous source of pride as I’ve watched them grow personally and professionally.
To Ray Eshelman, Tom Murphy, Paul Resinger, Larry Taylor, Bill Tripp and Don Perozzi who provided wonderful role models as bosses as my career progressed.
To the Berrys—L.M., John Sr., and John Jr.—for creating a company that helped so many of us live out our dreams.
To the Carroll High School athletes, including Pat Sullivan, Lou Renzi, and Mike Hennessy, and the rest of our team who made a commitment to a sport in which they had never before competed, yet in just three years became accomplished wrestlers. This team helped me recognize the magic of leadership in terms of influencing others’ lives.
To Doug Myers, Jerry DiPippo and many other business partners who taught me that loyalty and respect for one’s relationships always takes precedent over self-interest.
To Dan Curran, Clay Mathile, Marc Levy, JP Nausef, Doug Franklin, John Nowak, Dennis Rediker and a host of others for their unselfishness as they have devoted themselves to making our region a better place to live.
To Jack Schrader, Don Zimmer, Gary McCans and Charley Mazza whose life-time friendships have always been a source of encouragement and inspiration.
Special thanks to Marty Grunder who convinced me to write this book when others failed.
To Richard Launius, for his unselfishness and creativity in providing the art for this book.
Finally, thanks to my publisher Richard Hunt. He helped me realize my dream of telling this story.
Foreword
by Curt W. Coffman, Co-Author of the New York Times bestselling First, Break all the Rules
Let me be frank (and I don’t mean Sinatra), I am nothing short of being bored and exhausted with the thousands of leadership books that have come to swim in the pools of bookstores everywhere. Leadership is one of those topics that people love to hear themselves talk about but very few choose to listen to. We all have a theory that has largely been formed from our own justification of why we did or continue to do certain things. Books, articles and papers from academics to alleged renaissance leaders have produced pontifications about how to be a great leader.
I am amazed at the tremendous amount of creativity put into the discovery of a new model or a new set of metaphors while the actual meat of the book takes a back seat. Many of these books have become reference guides for me to find both pithy and slightly off-center ways of saying the same thing. Try it—it works!
While my cynicism is obvious, I find it refreshing when a text comes along that brings back those moments of a-ha’s and genuine intellectual and emotional engagement. I really live for those words that come off the page, strumming a chord of curiosity and providing a moment of new understanding. So has the book I’m proud to introduce to you.
Pete Luongo didn’t decide to sit down and write a book on leadership; he was called to do so. See, there are those times
