Leadership Framework #1: Rockefeller Habits

"The secret to success is to do the common things uncommonly well"

-John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil Company, widely regarded as the wealthiest man of all time, built an empire which controlled 90% of all oil in USA at his peak. John built this empire on a strong leadership framework, aptly named the "Rockefeller Habits", and used these habits to do common things uncommonly well

To kick-start 2023, Relentless Pursuit will release a summary & review of 4 common leadership frameworks, 1 each week in January. The purpose of this series is to educate every reader, both leader and follower, of proven strategies to lead as we all have the responsibility to Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way!

LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK #1: Rockefeller Habits

The Rockefeller Habits are as the name implies, regular behaviors John D. Rockefeller used to build & lead Standard Oil. These 10 concepts, when applied regularly, create a powerful framework and enable an organizations' performance.

1. Executive leadership team is healthy & aligned: The senior leaders in company have a productive relationship with eachother and share a common goal(s)

2. Everyone is aligned on the #1 thing which must be accomplished within the quarter: All employees know what the company must be focused on now

3. Established communication structure for how information travels through company: Important messages travel consistently (same way, same time, etc.) to all people in company. No critical communication is left "to chance".

4. Every facet of organization has a person assigned to ensure goals are met: Each department is accountable to documented goals, and has assigned a person to hold the department accountable

5. Regularly collect employee input: Use this input for early detection of obstacles and opportunities, both inside the company (the team itself) and outside (customers, suppliers, etc.)

6. Reporting on customer feedback is as frequent and accurate as financial reporting: Customers' are the reason for the business. The health of customer relationships is quantified and discussed constantly

7. Core values and purpose are actually used in the organization: Established purpose and values are used, all the time, as the foundation for key decisions (who to hire, what to do, etc.)

8. Employees can share the company's goal and strategy accurately & clearly: The target(s) company is pursuing and strategy in place is clearly communicated so that all employees understand and repeat it

9. All employees can answer qualitatively whether they had a good day/week: Every employee has a scoreboard, with data, to define their success/failure every day and every week

10. The company's plan & performance is visible to everyone: Good and bad results, across key performance metrics, are shared broadly so that all employees understand the company's performance

EXAMPLE: Rockefeller Habits have been implemented, in some capacity, at 70,000+ companies to date. A great example is coastal.com, who's 2014 sale to Essilor International for $430M CAD, was credited to the diligent execution of Rockefeller Habits.

LEARN MORE: Learn more about Rockefeller Habits Here

TIP: Stay tuned for the next 3 releases, covering the following Leadership Frameworks; Combat Leadership, Entrepreneurial Operating System, and Danaher Business System. Apply the best of each system to excel at what you do!

Stay Productive.

Joe House