07 Nov Johnson & Johnson: Three Takeaways From Their Famous JnJ Credo

I had the good fortune to meet with Jonson & Johnson (JnJ) CEO, Alex Gorsky in Arlington, VA recently.  Alex is a 1982 West Point graduate and was an Army Ranger and Infantry Officer for six years before joining the business world.  Since becoming CEO in 2012, he has continuously improved JnJ’s value, global market share and employee satisfaction.  How?  A focus on the JnJ “Credo,” which challenges JnJ employees to place the needs and well being of the people they serve first.  The credo is literally etched in stone in the company’s main lobby.  Written in 1943 by former CEO Robert Wood Johnson, it’s a framework for “servant leadership” at the organizational and individual level.  The JnJ Credo and the CEO’s actions emphasize “T3” at every turn.  Specific examples:

1. Teamwork:  Long, drawn-out Powerpoint presentations?  Not at the CEO’s level!  Key presentations at JnJ are a chance for cross-functional group discussion, collaboration and idea generation.  This method helps build relationship and trust amongst diverse groups which contributes to high-performance teams.
2. Tone:  Alex has tremendous credibility.  He’s an active participant in JnJ’s goal of having the market’s fittest workforce because healthy employees are essential for a healthy business and healthy families.  He exercises every morning with other employees whenever possible.  Tone is a synonym for culture.  The JnJ culture of fitness is demonstrated and reinforced from the top. Think about the positive message it sends to the workforce when the CEO joins a 6 AM spinning class in Shanghai after an all day flight from the U.S.  That’s setting the right tone!
3. Tenacity:  To stay current on global affairs, economic trends and management practices, this busy CEO carves out time every day to read and learn from online sources and books.  Tenacity is the relentless and passionate pursuit of a goal.  Alex has such a goal … continually taking actions to improve one’s education and then applying that knowledge to improve the well being of the people JnJ serves.

The Becker T3Group focuses on improving personal and team results by reflecting on real world examples of leadership and translating “T3” practices into corporate pillars of performance, productivity and profit.

Paul Becker inspires leaders and organizations on how to overcome adversity and achieve their maximum achievement through “Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity.”™ A motivational keynote speaker and author, Paul draws on decades of experience successfully leading, large, diverse teams in complex and unpredictable situations.  His “T3” principles provide a framework for turning tragedy into triumph when faced with the unexpected, and directly translate into corporate pillars of performance, productivity and profit.  For more T3, visit: https://TheBeckerT3Grooup.com