Fred Smith
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Five, people first isn't a slogan.
When investors tried to fire Fred in 1974, every senior officer signed the same letter.
They'd resign immediately if he was removed.
The board offered the presidency to one of them.
He refused instantly.
This was people, service, profit in action.
The order was important.
Take care of your people first.
They'll deliver superior service.
Service creates profit.
Most companies save people first, but at FedEx, people proved it by risking unemployment for their leader.
Six, reliability beats everything.
At Arkansas Aviation, Fred ordered rush aircraft parts, and they might arrive in two days or two weeks.
Nobody knew.
We can't count on getting any shipment reliably, he realized.
Speed without predictability is useless.
FedEx guaranteed overnight delivery or your money back, a feat that seemed impossible at the time.
The money guarantee created trust with customers and accountability internally.
There were no excuses.
Most companies compete on price.