World Book Day: “The Power of People,” by Charles P. McCormick

Charles P. McCormick, after assuming the presidency of the company in 1932, penned “The Power of People” in 1949. The book chronicled his observations and aimed to share his vision of leadership with other business executives. This book, and C.P. McCormick’s development of what he coined “multiple management” served as the framework for what continues to be one of our guiding principles today.

“My greatest satisfaction as president of a company has been in watching people who work with me grow as the business grows.” It was through these observations that C.P. McCormick founded and developed the idea of multiple management throughout all sectors and levels of the company. He wanted to present new avenues of professional development and collaboration for employees of all ages and levels within the management system.

To accomplish this, C.P. McCormick established a series of participatory boards. These included the Junior Board, which was comprised of young executives from throughout the company; the Factory Board, which included employees from the factory location; and the Sales Board, which tasked members with supply chain and operations problems to solve. Together, these boards allowed men and women from different sectors of the business to collaborate to discover innovative solutions while simultaneously offering professional growth experiences to those involved.

Today, the Multiple Management Board still exists in capacities throughout the company and is charged with tackling strategic questions and leading initiatives with members from across many divisions. The principle of multiple management runs deeper thought out the company than purely participation on one of the many boards. C.P. McCormick believed that each employee has a stake in the direction of the business and needs to be presented with growth opportunities to excel in his or her role. This passion for continued learning and development still rings true today – and is why one of our guiding principles bears the name of this pivotal book – The Power of People.

In honor of World Book Day, we celebrate “The Power of People.” The ideas and structures therein continue to drive our unwavering commitment to employees and inspire our high-performance culture rooted in our shared values and respect for the contributions of each and every employee. We are proud to hold true to the model established by C.P. McCormick nearly 70 years ago.