The Source of Success

Book excerpt: In The Source of Success, Peter Georgescu, former CEOof the world-renowned advertising agency Young & Rubicam,reveals the nature of the new economic world, and shows what ittakes to win in this intensely competitive arena. Georgescupresents a new standard of leadership that focuses on the keysource of value in today’s corporation: the relationshipbetween the informed customer and the creative employee—arelationship, he shows, that must be built with honesty andintegrity. Georgescu’s vision rests on five crucialprinciples, which together can unleash a tremendous untappedreservoir of energy within our organizations, and within ourselves: Creative capacity and the brand integrity that grows from itare an organization’s most important assets. Enlightened leaders inspire creativity through understanding,cooperation, and respect. Competence and execution are as important as ever, but theymust be aimed at building intimacy with the customer. Alignment is the critical concept for thetwenty-first-century organization. Great companies don’t happen without leaders who havetransformed themselves.