Letters

More Praise For Ken Iverson

I read your tribute to Ken Iverson ["Putting Employees First Pays Off," June, Page 14] with deep respect and fond remembrance. I worked for Nucor from 1992 to 2001 and had the honor of working with Ken in the corporate office. To understand his greatness as a CEO

you have to have a sense of his uniqueness as a person. Ken was a principled man and a true believer in the euphemism of "less is more." He answered his own phone, eschewed corporate trappings and defined the workplace at Nucor in terms of responsibility, accountability and shared purpose. There were no quick fixes, flavors of the month or acronym pep rallies. Ken believed in a workplace where every employee has a voice and a structure was installed to ensure that voice would be heard. He was famous for being on the plant floor at any hour of the day or night talking to employees and thanking them for their ideas and service.

As many managers mouth the words, read the lines and feign conviction, Ken's basic goodness and toughness engendered as apolitical and results-focused organization as there is. Shop dinners, division picnics and minimal corporate interference created a sense of community at every division. There is not a manager in America who would not benefit from studying Ken's methods.