Clicks and Mortar

David Pottruck is president, co-CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of The Charles Schwab Corporation. He is responsible for strategic business development. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) and Wharton (M.B.A.), Mr. Pottruck has also worked for Shearson/American Express and Citibank. He serves on the Boards of a number of other corporations, including Intel and the NASD. Mr. Pottruck is also currently appointed to the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce.

Terry Pearce is the founder of Leadership Communication, a company which offers coaching and leadership development programs to corporate, political and community leaders. Mr. Pearce is the author of Leading Out Loud and has collaborated with many business leadership organizations including the Tom Peters Company and the Haas Graduate School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. He earned a B.S. in business administration from Linfield College, Oregon and a Certificate, IBM Advanced Financial Management from Harvard Business Faculty in La Hulpe, Belgium.

Growing a successful business in the Internet age still requires people that are spirited and passionate about what they do.

In fact, passion has always driven and preceded success in the business arena. The companies that excel are those that create and sustain a passionate culture built on a foundation of individual contribution, team spirit and risk-taking. They are led by leaders who are passionately interested and closely involved in serving the customer. In a passionate organization, everyone is driven far more by their own personal values and a shared desire for their business and their people to succeed rather than by the future promise of an IPO payoff.

Passionate organizations are dynamic places to work, since they are anchored by enduring principles. Better still, these organizations meld new technology together with the best qualities of their people to create the perfect environment for a profitable business.

Filling a need is not just a great way to make money — it’s the only way to build commitment to an organization that has such a purpose. The desire to serve others is a more enduring and greater motivator than the desire to beat the competition.

Section 1 — Create a Passionate Corporate Culture. A passionate corporate culture is the main driver of growth in any organization in the Internet age.

Building a passionate corporate culture is a three step process:

1. Create a culture around a clear vision and common values.
2. Sustain the culture with stories, images and shared rituals.
3. Use diversity productively to cultivate commitment.

Section 2 — Inspire Passion-Driven Growth Through Leadership. Leadership should create an atmosphere where risk and failure are acceptable and good communication is all important.

Good leaders in a passion-driven organization:

1. Act as excellent role models and mentors.
2. Communicate effectively, and encourage others to do the same.
3. Actively encourage and reward those who engage in breakthrough thinking.

Section 3 — Sustain Growth With Sound Management Practices. The management practices of a passion driven organization always combine loyalty and commitment together productively.

The key management practices of passion-driven organizations are:

1. Differentiate between measuring the business and measuring the people.
2. Maintain the interest and enthusiasm of technical staff.
3. Project your organization’s voice in all marketing programs and initiatives.
4. Build personal relationships between you and your customers.