Ken iverson nucor book

Ken iversons legacy is the remarkable performance of an american steel firm nucor. Ken iverson is unlike any big businessman and his company, nucor steel, is unlike any large corporation. Since the publication of the book nucor has become the number one player. Twenty years ago, in 1998, my agent called and asked if id be interested in coauthoring a business book aimed at identifying 21 companies that would lead the way in the 21st century. Nucor chairman ken iverson earned engineering degrees from cornell and purdue. Innovation principles from ken iverson s plain talk to my eyes, two of the most fascinating sights to behold are. Plain talk provides a penetrating analysis of why nucor.

Plain talk provides a penetrating analysis of why nucor has performed so well for so long, full of insights and solid conclusions. I highly recommend this book, not only to students in the manufacturing and business fields, but also to those already in the field who would like some inspiration and a change in the common preconceptions of the manufacturing industry. In fact, recalls former ceo dan dimicco in his new book american made. Kenneth eugene iverson 17 december 1920 19 october 2004 was a canadian computer scientist noted for the development of the programming language apl. Nov 05, 2008 ken sings a song called i believe and talks about his dad. More recently, i stumbled across ken iversons book plain talk. The company, which changed its name to nucor, became the nations thirdlargest steel maker.

A case study for strategic management, for the mba program at lewis university. Ken iverson, the legendary ceo of nucor steel, managed to grow the company at 17% per year and be profitable for over 30 years. Jan 07, 2019 by 1996, when ken iverson stepped down as ceo after a 30year run, nucor had risen from near bankruptcy to become the thirdlargest steelmaker in the u. The book is easy to follow, very well written, and. Nucor has a new man of steel charlotte business journal. The book includes a few case studies on companies, nucor being one of them. He is credited with transforming nucor steel from a nearly bankrupt company in the 1960s into the largest and most successful steelmaker in the united states. Plain talk, by ken iverson, is a memoir of his time running the steel company nucor.

Plain talk by ken iverson meet your next favorite book. Nucors ceo is stepping aside, but its culture likely wont. Nov, 2017 i came across nucor s enviable track record a while back when reading james hesketts excellent book the culture cycle. May 25, 2016 ken iverson, the legendary ceo of nucor steel, managed to grow the company at 17% per year and be profitable for over 30 years. Kenneth iverson, the former chief executive of the nucor corporation, who revolutionized the steel industry and turned his steel minimill into the nations largest steel producer, died on. And he was chairman of nucor corporation, which, under his leadership, had come.

He was honored with the turing award in 1979 for his pioneering effort in programming languages and mathematical notation resulting in what the computing field now knows as apl. The founder values and personality ken iverson ceo was the only person who tries to make an effort in order to overcome the obstacles that nucor was encountering 1982. There are no magic pills to being successful in steel. Nucor is one of the largest steel manufacturers in the united states. A visionary, maverick, and genuine american business hero, ken iverson i.

The book itself is an easy read, providing clear explanations and examples from kens and nucors the steel company experiences. Lessons from a business maverick, shares his insights on managing simply. Innovation principles from ken iversons plain talk skmurphy, inc. Nov 25, 2014 a strategic look into nucor corporation. The problem with most management, leadership, and business books is that many of them harp. Nucor was formed from the nuclear corporation of america, which grew out of reo motor company. If anything, ken iverson and nucor have been successful because theyve been willing to buck corporate tradition and do things as they saw fit. Since the publication of the book nucor has become the number one. When you read iversons book it will all seem logical and commonsensical.

Keeping management simple has enabled iverson to transform nucor into the secondlargest producer of steel in the united states, while also pioneering industry innovations. Within months, his handpicked successor as ceo, john. As chairman of americas thirdlargest steel company, he is a champion of individual initiative and an outspoken opponent of bureaucratic management. American steel is a comeback story of the american steel industry. The answer to the companys fortunes arent likely to be found in any of the complex formulas spelled out in m. Nucor corporation continues to monitor the rapidly changing developments concerning the novel coronavirus covid19 pandemic. Peter larson, chairman and ceo, brunswick corporation it is a masterpiece.

You will enjoy reading this book as much as the people who work for nucor. First, ken iverson sold the part of the company that was unprofitable and follows some strategies of other metal business with the purpose to generate some profits. But on the plus side, the project introduced me to f. Kenneth iverson 109 a popular speaker on the corporate lecture circuit, ken distilled his business philosophy into a book, plain talk. Ken iverson is the person who did as much as anyone to put that culture in place. Hightech management can save the rust belt, according to ken iverson, ceo of nucor steel, who pioneered a method to make new highquality steel out of scrap metal mechanical properties of 174ph by ken iverson book. Plain talk free summary by ken iverson and tom varian. Ken iverson, the legendary ceo of nucor steel, managed to grow the. They pulled off one of the greatest stories in industrial america. In the 1960s, nucor founder ken iverson started a small steel company on the idea that teammates, customers and communities could trust one another. Nov 20, 2012 nucors management approach is not newiversons philosophy dates back several decades and gained further attention when he wrote a book about his maverick management style. Kenneth iverson september 18, 1925 april 14, 2002 was an american businessman. Nucor corporation has a wild idea about building a plant in tiny crawfordsville, indiana, and beat big steel and japan at the same time with nonunion labor.

I highly recommend this book, not only to students in the manufacturing and business fields, but also to those already in the field who would like some inspiration and a change in the common preconceptions of the. Learning from business maverick ken iverson vintage value. Lessons from a business maverick kindle edition by iverson, ken. Ken iversons plain talk details the management and innovation. David glass, president and ceo, walmart stores, inc. Feb 9, 2019 plain talk your customers by ken iverson nucor stay safe and healthy. Iverson wrote a book about his business philosophy, plain talk. Fifty years later, we are americas largest steel producer. Lessons from a business maverick iverson with varian, 1997. What made nucor different and great under kenneth iverson. When it faced bankruptcy in 1965, the companys board promoted him to president. He is credited with transforming nucor steel from a nearly bankrupt company. Iverson transformed the company from an unwieldy and unprofitable small conglomerate into a highly focused and highly profitable large steel company. Nucor had a culture long before zappos made it popular.

Why making things will return us to greatness, when ken iverson brought the former nuclear technology company into the steel business in the 1960s, the corporation was fighting for its very survival. Our top priority is to ensure the health and safety of our teammates, their families and the communities where we operate. Credited with singlehandedly rejuvenating the rapidly declining american steel industry to the status of worldclass producer, iverson is one of the most successful and, as he likes to point out, one of the lowestpaid ceos in the u. Plain talk a genuine american business hero, ken iverson, ceo and chairman of nucor steel, is credited with singlehandedly rejuvenating the rapidly declining american steel industry to the status of worldclass producer. Nucors ken iverson on building a different kind of company reading time. Mar 09, 2015 nucor ceo ken iverson, stated that nearly 100 percent of their success came from the ability to translate its simple concept of business into disciplined action consistent with that concept. Sep 26, 2019 when leon topalian takes over as chief executive of nucor corp.

Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Nucor was extremely successful, for a long period, in an industry that provided huge headwinds. The book itself is an easy read, providing clear explanations and examples from ken s and nucor s the steel company experiences. Despite the warning, above this book deserves your attention for a few reasons. Ken iverson joined nuclear corporation in 1962 when it bought vulcraft, a. The management philosophy of the ceo who disrupted big steel is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago. By 1996, when ken iverson stepped down as ceo after a 30year run, nucor had risen from near bankruptcy to become the thirdlargest steelmaker in the u. So while a lot has changed, wed like to think very little has changed when it comes to what makes us who we are. Creating an egalitarian, performancebased culture is hard in a small company. The book is written in a very refreshing and direct style reminiscent of books written in the early 1900s. In this interview with tom brown, ken iverson, chairman of nucor steel and author of plain talk. Learning from ken iverson investment masters class. Plain talk your customers by ken iverson nucor book.

More recently, i stumbled across ken iverson s book plain talk after it was recommended by one of the investment masters. A visionary, maverick, and genuine american business hero, ken iverson is one of the most closelywatched business leaders in the world. In his longawaited book, ken iverson shares his ideas, observations, and the lessons hes learned about what it takes. But two years later, the ink was barely dry on the pages of plain talk when he was pushed off nucors board and into retirement. Ken iverson had already discovered most of the business secrets revealed in todays business best sellers nucor had a culture long before zappos made it popular. The book is easy to follow, very well written, and a must read for every. His accounting of nucor s story should serve as a blue print or us all. Ken iverson wrote plain talk 1997 to document the management and innovation principles that led nucor from bankruptcy to the number three position in the steel industry in the united states. Lessons from a business maverick, detailed his unique. Nucors steely resolve for longterm success industryweek. Kenneth iverson american national business hall of fame, anbhf. Famous for its lean corporate structure and revolutionary incentive plans, nucor embodies the romance of big steel and the ideals of chairman ken iverson, who turned the struggling company known as nuclear corporation of america into a successful steelmaking empire. But two years later, the ink was barely dry on the pages of plain talk when he was pushed off nucor s board and into retirement. Kenneth iverson was a young metallurgy student at purdue univiersity, he got his first closeup look at big steel.