彼得•德鲁克和女童军教给我的管理课

兼容并包

    我从未对女童军团的发展方向产生过任何疑问。从一开始，我们就与组织内的各级领导者分享了我们的使命和研究成果——这是我用杯子和碟子创造的一个概念，即循环管理。每个人都是团队的一员；没有所谓的上下级之分。每个人都受到应有的尊敬。这个组织创造并实践这一理念——这个理念变成了组织自己的理念。董事会成员和员工的组成非常多样化，涵盖所有种族和族裔群体。我们所从事的，是一场伟大的运动。我们有奇妙的凝聚力。我们把种族和民族的代表人数增加了二倍多。这是最美妙的体验。

追求完美

    我一直秉持的一个理念是，只有各领域最好的人士才有资格为女孩们提供服务。我们拥有一支由哈佛商学院（Harvard Business School）教授组成的团队。比如，里贾纳•赫茨琳杰和吉姆赫斯克特为我们策划了公司管理研讨会，史上最伟大的领导人之一约翰•W•加德纳对我们的董事会成员进行了培训。这一理念也被应用到了一些小事情上，比如改善我们寒酸土气的制服。1978年，我邀请美国首屈一指的设计师候司顿为65万名女性设计富有现代气息的制服，女童军团的绝大多数人从未穿过由候司顿设计的衣服。他说：“我愿意接受这项工作。” 六年后，潮流改变了，美国的王牌设计师变成了比尔•布拉斯。因此，我又带着我的故事去找他，他同样欣然应允。这两款设计都很漂亮，而且很实用。我们自己生产服装，所以衣服的价格就被降到了最低程度。这件事对鼓舞员工士气发挥了很大作用。

Be inclusive

    I never had any question about the direction we were going in at the Girl Scouts. We shared our mission and research with all levels of leaders from the very beginning -- a concept I created using cups and saucers, called circular management. Everyone was on a team; there were no superiors or subordinates. There was respect for all people. The group helped create and test the idea -- and it was theirs. We had richly diverse boards and staff, and reached out to all racial and ethnic groups. We were one great movement. There was marvelous cohesion. We more than tripled racial and ethnic representation. It was the most beautiful experience.

Accept only the best

    I always had this philosophy that only the best is good enough for those who serve girls. We had a team of Harvard Business School professors, like Regina Herzlinger and Jim Heskett, who developed corporate management seminars, and John W. Gardner, one of the greatest leaders ever, trained our board. It was about the small things too, like our dowdy polyester uniforms. In 1978 I asked Halston, the No. 1 American designer, to design contemporary uniforms for 650,000 women, most of whom would never own a Halston. And he said, "I'll do it." Six years later, times changed, and Bill Blass was the greatest designer in our country. So I went to him with my story, and he, too, agreed. Both designs were beautiful and functional. We manufactured them ourselves, so they were minimally priced. That did a great deal for staff morale.