Link to New York Times article: Don Knauss of Clorox, on Putting Your Followers First

Don Knauss, chief executive of the Clorox Company, describes his experience with the Marine Corps and how it has shaped his people-oriented approach towards leadership.

Knauss says: “…if you’re going to lead these people, you’d better demonstrate that you care more about them than you care about yourself (para. 4).”

Knauss’ career in the military propelled him to pursue a career in brand management at Procter & Gamble that was an exact parallel of the five-paragraph order that is the basis of every operation in the military – Smeac – situation, mission, execution, administration and communication.

He describes the idea leadership as having a “head part” and a “heart part.” The head part having to do with focusing an organization and adhering to the fundamentals, and the heart part, putting others first and making a conscious effort to see the good in people. Knauss says, “If you’re going to engage the best and the brightest and retain them, they’d better think that you care more about them than you care about yourself (para. 8).”

Today, Knauss describes his hiring method as a search for an individual with a marriage of passion and intelligence who can make a positive impact on the business. He also values an employee’s ability to develop people and to communicate in an informal but inspiring way. He closes by emphasizing the importance of a good value system – “It starts with integrity, which is really the grease of commerce (para. 13).”