Leadership Lessons from a UPS Driver

Summary

Ron Wallace rose from driver to president of UPS International. Here he reveals the UPS secret sauce--culture--that allows it to outcompete younger companies that are not unionized, not sprawling, and not Brown.


The steady, long-term success of UPS is sometimes a mystery to business observers. Founded over a century ago, UPS has been moving up, not down the Fortune 500 list. Massive in size, UPS has cultivated a family environment where promotion is almost always from within, lifetime employment is the norm and even the executives are union members. In one of the most mature of mature industries, UPS is consistently seen as a strong investment on Wall Street.

What is the UPS secret sauce? In this groundbreaking book, Ron Wallace credits the unique "people culture" of UPS as the distinguishing factor. Ron credits this culture with giving him his start in management and helping him rise from driver to president of UPS International. Different from the typical business memoir that celebrates the leader as celebrity, Ron's book focuses on the people and simple principles that taught him the UPS way. He exhorts his fellow leaders to grow their people, not just their business plans. Ron's key takeaway comes straight from the UPS founder and Ron's inspiration, Jim Casey: "Treat your people well, and the company will flourish." These simple principles can work in any company, whether or not brown is the wardrobe color.