Basket King (Photo)

Author: Dave Longaberger [USA]
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-04-01
Features: Dave Longaberger's stories are both entertaining and deeply moving. His wise, vibrant insights and success blueprints leap off the page, inspiring people to believe in themselves. Through his personal experiences, Dave teaches us how to create a richer and more fulfilling life. Dave Longaberger, founder of Longaberger Company in the United States, is an "Forrest Gump" figure: he had a stutter, epilepsy, and learning disabilities, and didn't graduate from high school until he was 21. No one thought he could succeed. Starting from scratch, he invented a set of management principles that ran counter to those taught in business schools and achieved remarkable results: over 25 years, he built a basket empire with annual sales of $700 million. Humorous, sincere, and compassionate, he saw career growth and wealth accumulation as ways to expand his life. In love, friendship, dreams, and perseverance, he crafted a joyful soul. When he passed away, his thousands of employees, who deeply respected and loved him, came together to bid him farewell. Longaberger's value may not lie in climbing the rich lists; every aspect of his life was healthy, bright, and even perfect—he was a complete success in living. For managers, his unconventional management philosophy will open up new perspectives; for us all, there is so much inspiration and emotion to be drawn from him that you might even want to have him as your boss, father, or friend—you might even want him to be you.