The Sam Walton Way: 50 of Mr. Sam's Best Leadership Practices

On July 2, 1962, Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart Store in Rogers, Arkansas; and in 2012, Wal-Mart will celebrate its 50th anniversary of that accomplishment. In recognition of Mr. Sam's 50 year leadership legacy, I felt it was important to recognize this milestone by capturing his best practices for posterity. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with, and around, Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. That's how I learned "THE SAM WALTON WAY" IS "THE WALMART WAY!" In this book, THE SAM WALTON WAY, as a tribute and to commemorate Mr. Sam's 50 year leadership legacy, I have captured 50 of his Best Leadership Practices. Sam Walton realized people are Wal-Mart's most important asset. He understood that by treating them as partners and empowering them to serve the customers, he was unleashing a powerful business catalyst called ownership. Sam Walton was ahead of his time. He believed in the benefits of empowerment, continuous improvement, and ownership years before those concepts became the hottest program du jour, touted by business consultants around the world. It is the culture which Mr. Sam created that remains the secret to Wal-Mart's 50 years of retailing dominance. Generations of Wal-Mart Associates and Wal-Mart Managers have come and gone; and, unfortunately, few of those who are currently employed by the company actually knew Sam Walton personally. To this day, Wal-Mart's leaders continue to turn to Mr. Sam's leadership philosophies to guide them as they operate Wal-Mart Stores and Sam's Clubs around the world. Interestingly, when faced with a difficult problem today's company leaders often still find themselves asking, "What Would Sam Do?" Mr. Sam's leadership philosophies, values, strategies, and tactics have remained the foundation of the Wal-Mart culture for 50 years. Amazingly, Mr. Sam, a small-town retailer from Arkansas, transformed the way business is conducted around the world with his paradigm-busting leadership strategies and tactics. In this book, THE SAM WALTON WAY: 50 of Mr. Sam's Best Leadership Practices, based on my first hand observations and discussions with others who worked with Mr. Sam, I will review 50 of what I consider to be his most important "What Would Sam Do (WWSD), Best Leadership Practices." You might say, this book is "one stop shopping" for everything you ever wanted to know about The Sam Walton Way! Michael Bergdahl