When Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, and Sarah McArthur asked me to write the foreword for their edited compilation book, Work Is Love Made Visible, my answer to their request was a heartfelt and enthusiastic, “Yes!”
What an honor for me to be part of the latest creation from three of my heroes, whose work and leadership I admire and have benefited from so much.
I immediately read the book from start to finish and was deeply struck by its leadership messages and the way the book was organized. These leadership messages cause us to reflect on our purpose and our passions. It is about what matters so much to each of us that we want to share it with others. And the book is organized in such a way that each contributor’s reflections on Frances’s question, “What is it you see when you look out the window that is visible but not yet seen by others?” supports one of Frances’s five philosophies on leadership:
Reading each contributor’s reflections inspired me to answer Frances’s question myself!
When I look out the window, what do I see that is visible but not yet seen by others? I see talented and motivated people working together for the greater good. I see three elements that are absolutely critical to the true success of any venture, company, product, or life: humility, love, and service. And I see the unique contribution of leaders to hold themselves and their leadership teams responsible and accountable for creating smart and healthy organizations that are delivering value for the greater good.
Reflecting on Frances’s question invited me to reflect about my own leadership journey and how it might serve to help you uncover and realize your own purpose as you study this book.
Growing up, we lived with very modest means. Even so, I was incredibly fortunate because my parents loved me and believed that I could make a significant difference and contribution to our world. To this end, they taught me the following lessons that I have carried with me throughout my life:
And, like all kids, I wanted to fit in. I wanted a pair of Levi jeans, some Weejuns penny loafers, and a car and college some day. So, with my parent’s teachings and encouragement, I decided my way forward was to serve and maybe I could earn those special jeans.
I started “work” with TV Guide and newspaper routes and then a lawn mowing business. I was a bagger, checker, and then night manager at the Dillons grocery store. I was a carpenter, ranch and farm hand. I played sports and was my college fraternity rush chairman and president. All the while I learned aerospace engineering at the University of Kansas and summer jobs at Beechcraft, Cessna, and Boeing.
Starting with my very first “work,” I became very aware of the power and advantages of “working together” with all the stakeholders associated with my service … my customers, parents, family, employers, employees, suppliers, communities, competitors, bankers, and investors.
I looked at each “work” as service and I loved serving! I loved asking my customers what they wanted and valued the appreciative smiles on their faces for my service. I loved learning and growing and exceeding their expectations! And I loved the satisfaction I felt when I meaningfully contributed to making people’s lives better. I loved working together with all the stakeholders to create value for everyone. And I continued to refine and improve my following working together principles and practices through my “work.”
As the scope of my service grew with the teams at Boeing and then later at Ford, I developed and continued to refine my following working together management system to implement my working together principles and practices for the product programs and businesses I supported and led.
My working together management system proved to be a very reliable process with clear expected behaviors to manage our organizations, to include all of our stakeholders, and to sustainably deliver value for the greater good in our rapidly changing world.
This, my life’s work, the working together principles, practices, and management system, is how I have made my love visible. It is a system that leaders can use to work together for the greater good. And it is this book based on Frances’s inspired question that has led me to take the next steps in my journey, to make my love visible yet again by sharing my working together principles, practices, and management system in this brief foreword.
I hope you will read this book and soak it all in! Take in everything that these wonderful thought leaders and contributors have to teach us. Then ask yourself Frances’s question, “What is it you see when you look out the window that is visible but not yet seen by others?” Ponder, analyze, and reflect on your purpose. Explore and discover what is important to you and then do that at work and in your actions. When you do, you will find that your love is visible to you and to others, and you will be well on your way to being a leader who is helping us all work together for the greater good!
Thank you Frances, Marshall, and Sarah for inspiring each of us to discover and make our love visible!
Alan Mulally
Former CEO of Boeing and Ford