Charles Spahr

[The Story Teller]

Charles Spahr​

“A business may prosper temporarily because of fortuitous circumstances, but in the long run an enterprise needs a management team that can effectively respond to change in the environment in which it operates.”
—Charles Spahr​

Until the 1950s, Sohio, a part of the original Standard Oil empire, was content to operate within the borders of Ohio and to stay only in the oil business. When Charles Spahr, a longtime Sohio veteran, became president in 1959, he began looking at ways to move the company into a new era of growth and prosperity. “He shook the company like a terrier grabbing a mouse,” as one executive put it. Sohio expanded its gasoline operations outside Ohio in 1962. It also diversified into such related fields as plastics and oil-shale mining, and intensified its research on synthetic fibers and other oil-related products.
To make those changes work, Spahr had to transform company management and employee thinking. Placing a high priority on productivity, Spahr put people in responsible positions because of their ability and not because of seniority. He developed systems for inspiring and rewarding all employees for superior achievement. An innovative compensation program helped both managers and employees develop an “ownership attitude” and unity of purpose. Sohio’s streamlining and positive motivation worked because of Spahr’s ability to sell his ideas. The result was a memorable turnaround for Sohio from a stale company to a growing concern.
Consider This: When an organization becomes stale, it is time for a new look at how things are done. Perhaps it is time to shake up the status quo like “a terrier grabbing a mouse.”
Submitted by Richard

 

[brachah]

yes, creativity is important. i am happy i am quite a creative person. hehe.