Synopsis

Follow Toro's history - from a peak in 1979 following unparalleled expansion and development in 1979, to the brink of disaster in 1981, and back again. Learn about the company's cut-backs and sacrifices, its self-examination, its decision to embark on the path of servant leadership, and its ultimate return to profitability and customer satisfaction. Ken Melrose recounts his own process of refining his personal commitment to leadership principles and gaining the courage to implement fundamental changes. He tells which culture initiatives and leadership strategies the company applied, which worked, and why. Melrose describes a "servant leadership" model in which leaders operate from a principle-centered base by working for and serving the rest of the organization. This approach allows employees to grow and contribute inways that best serve the long-term interests of the company. Melrose tells of both the successes and struggles in applying the model to the Toro environment.

Publishers Weekly

In this somewhat self-serving title, the CEO of the Toro Company tells how he pulled the Fortune 500 lawn products corporation out of an earnings crisis by empowering employees to participate in its management. Drawing inspiration from Robert Greenleaf's Servant Leadership, Melrose fostered a corporate culture he defined as ``pride in excellence,'' in which employee teams set goals, solved problems, made decisions, assumed accountability and ultimately realized their potential as individuals. The process allowed for taking risks and granted freedom to fail and try again. One success attributed to team effort was a golf course irrigation system that conserves water. The book is divided into four sections, each of which represents a stage in the growth process of servant leadership. With frequent references to soil, seed, turf and harvest, Melrose advises corporate leaders to impart a company vision along with motivation, channels of communication and a participatory, family-like environment in order to succeed in today's market. (Oct.)