And I'm really doing what I want to do. I run a $20 billion company. I have a great job. It's right in the middle of everything: globalization, movement to fast-cycle production, high technology, e-commerce. If there were some self-actualizing pursuit that I wanted to do, I would do it!
What would you have done if FedEx hadn't worked out? What would have been the arc of your career?
The arc of my career changed not because of FedEx but because of the Vietnam War. I was planning to go to Harvard Law School, but that became no longer an option when I had to go to Vietnam. I spent 13 months as a rifle-platoon leader and a company commander. The marines taught me more about the blue-collar segment of society -- the way people think and what they are looking for -- than I could have possibly learned in any academic setting.
How does that connect to FedEx?
My leadership philosophy is a synthesis of the principles taught by the marines and every organization for the past 200 years.
When people walk in the door, they want to know: What do you expect out of me? What's in this deal for me? What do I have to do to get ahead? Where do I go in this organization to get justice if I'm not treated appropriately? They want to know how they're doing. They want some feedback. And they want to know that what they are doing is important.
If you take the basic principles of leadership and answer those questions over and over again, you can be successful dealing with people.
The thing that I think is missing most in business is people who really understand how to deal with rank-and-file employees.
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