More great bosses - John Coady and Dave Allen

As I consider what made any one boss great, I have concluded that instead of simply issuing orders and telling people what to do, they were all patient and exceptional at asking questions. Recognizing that ownership of an idea is critical for great execution, and that the first good solution may not be the best, they probed and challenged. John Coady, former Group-President at Mars, who sadly died in his sixties, was outstanding at doing this. He would listen, never show anger or impatience, and then ask just the right question.

Another who was wonderful at this was Dave Allen, who also died in his sixties. Dave, at Marketing Corporation of America, was superb at getting people to work together to come up with the best solution. He avoided giving any shoot form the hip answers himself, but helped others to achieve their best.