The Pursuit of Something Better

by Dave Esler and Myra Kruger

Paperback, 273 pages This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1607251663
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Esler Kruger Associates, Inc
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

It would have been a better book if it were a little less laudatory

The tone of this book was sometimes so much that of a cheerleader that after I completed it I did some online investigation of U. S. Cellular and CEO Jack Rooney. When he took the reins of U. S. Cellular, Rooney not only set out to chart a new course, he set the even higher goal of changing the species of animal pulling the cart. His goal was to put the customer first and run the company based on values, ethics and integrity. These are noble goals to be sure and according to the authors, ones that were achieved, although not without struggles, many of which were internal. Change of this magnitude and so against what is the "conventional wisdom" can be frightening to those directly affected. Courage, persistence and results are the three requirements for such a transformation, enough courage to make the attempt, the persistence to continue long enough so that results can be documented and the end results worthy enough to justify making them public in this book. The consequences of my research were that I was convinced that Rooney did in fact carry out the changes described in this book and for that Rooney and the authors are to be commended. However, it would have been a better book if they had toned down the impression of awe towards Rooney that occasionally bubbles up and makes it sound like a U. S. Cellular press release.

Whatever you think this is about, you'll get more

If you think this is a business book, a work on leadership, a management concept, a "self-help" book, a case study in ethics, a case study in corporate culture change, a business biography, or great story, you'll be pleased as it is all of these and then a bit. In 2000, Jack Rooney became the CEO of U.S. Cellular. At that time, U.S. Cellular could have been the role model for the employer in Dilbert - The Complete Series. Disaffected employees, clueless self-serving managers, and disconnected profiteering executives; all that was missing was the pointy hair on the managers and a female engineer who punched co-workers (or these were left out of the book?). In 2008, against all expectations of 2000, U.S. Cellular is an aggressive competitor in the cellular industry. Jack Rooney's leadership was the driving force behind the complete transformation of the corporate culture that led to this overwhelming success. The philosophy behind the change is Dynamic Organization (D.O), a statement of behaviors and values expected of every member of U.S. Cellular. What makes this unusual is that the CEO (Rooney) lived the behaviors and values and expected everyone, executives, managers, and engineers as well as store employees and call center workers. To ensure compliance, leaders are rated by their subordinates, and the subordinates rate their bosses' boss. Talk about heresy in corporate America. Needless to say, there were some rough spots between 2000 and 2008. The D.O. statement itself is not earthshattering or terribly innovative, but competent, proven, and above all, ethical guidelines for conduct and teamwork. The enablers to make this succede are all communications. A direct line to the CEO open to *any* employee, annual surveys on leadership and corporate culture, the assessments of supervisors by subordinates, and other lines of communication allowed the propagation of the new values and reporting on individuals who failed to comply with the new standards. Rooney wasn't perfect, and the writers admit his mistakes in more than one instance, but he was persistant and consistent in his drive to raise the ethical climate of U.S. Cellular. What makes this a great story is the presentation of the eight years of effort to effect the culture change, with conflicts and victories at every level of the organization. Striking the balance between the "what" of profitiability and the "how" of the ethical and behavior standards of D.O. was painful, but makes for some great drama. This is not the usual fair for a book on business leadership, ethics, and corporate climate. There were a number of surprises about this book. The most salient was that this is something of a biography of Jack Rooney. And unlike the self-aggrandizing corporate leadership Americans have come to loathe and expect, he really lives the value of selfless service. Note well that on the back cover blurb, his name is two thirds of the way down rather than in the first line of every paragrap