The Power of We

Praise for The Power of We

"In The Power of We, Jonathan Tisch reminds us again that working together still yields the best results. Jon has spent a lifetime mobilizing people and organizations to get a job done in business and in civic service. His experience, optimism, intelligence, and common sense are reflected in this fresh look at the rewards of partnerships."
-President Bill Clinton

"The Power of We offers a clear and compelling lesson in how today's business leaders can create new synergies and gain competitive advantage by learning how to partner successfully."
-Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and CEO, American Express Company

"Jon Tisch has lived the strategy he describes in The Power of We, and now this extraordinary man and successful leader shares his strategy with us. Building partnerships at all levels-social, intellectual, and political, as well as entrepreneurial-will be one of the keys to progress in the coming decades. Jon Tisch provides a road map for those who grasp that reality."
-John Sexton, President, New York University

"Being a leader requires vision, focus, and influence. Jonathan Tisch has exhibited all three in this great body of work about what it takes to be a partner and something bigger than yourself. The Power of We is a must read."
-Pat Riley, President, the Miami HEAT

Acknowledgments vii

1 The Power of Partnerships: Getting from Me to We 1

Portrait in Partnership: Rodney Carroll 21

2 Now Who’s Boss? Lessons in Partnership from the CEO’s Desk to the Housekeeper’s Cart 25

Portrait in Partnership: Jeff Zucker 35

3 A Family Business: It All Started with Sayde and Al 39

Portrait in Partnership: Marc Morial 59

4 The Employee Comes First: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line 63

Portrait in Partnership: Emeril Lagasse 87

5 Turning Customers into Partners: Creating Value Together 91

Portrait in Partnership: David Neeleman 116

6 Being a Good Neighbor: Hanging Up Your Tux and Rolling Up Your Sleeves 121

Portrait in Partnership: President Jimmy Carter 136

7 E Pluribus Plenty: When Competition Gives Way to Cooperation 141

Portrait in Partnership: Paul Tagliabue 159

8 Beyond the Ballot Box: Good Corporate Citizenship Takes More Than Your Vote 163

Portrait in Partnership: Kate Carr 184

9 What’s in It for the Owners? Bringing Dollars and Sense to the Bottom Line 189

Portrait in Partnership: Sir Howard Stringer 203

10 New York Rising: The Power of Partnerships in Time of Crisis 207

Portrait in Partnership: Jane Rosenthal 223

Epilogue Twelve More Tips: A Recipe for Personal Success 227

Sources 241

Index 251

“expounds on how to succeed through building partnerships…” (Vanity Fair, September 2004) JONATHAN M. TISCH is Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, and has been at the helm of the company since 1989. He has been instrumental in furthering the development of the hotel chain and its emergence as one of the country’s leading luxury hotel companies. At the same time, Tisch is recognized as a preeminent leader of the $555 billion travel and tourism industry. He is Chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable and NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism marketing organization, and was formerly vice chair of the Welfare to Work Partnership and chairman of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Loews Corporation, parent company of Loews Hotels, is one of the largest diversified financial holding companies in the United States, with nearly $80 billion in assets. Tisch believes that a new model of "business philosophy" based on partnerships is the key to corporate and economic success in the future.
KARL WEBER is a freelance writer specializing in business and current affairs. He is coauthor with Adrian Slywotzky of How to Grow When Markets Don’t and How Digital Is Your Business? "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
–Henry Ford
American industrialist

In these challenging times for American business, it’s easy to get trapped in an "everyone for themselves" mentality. But in today’s complex world, no single organization is capable of mobilizing all the resources required to accomplish everything it needs to do. The key to success: smart partnerships with individuals, community groups, and other organizations. Yet few leaders have mastered the vital art of partnering.

In The Power of We, Jonathan Tisch, one of today’s most imaginative and influential executives, along with business writer Karl Weber, explains how to achieve lasting success through creative partnerships. In his appealing and personal style, Tisch discusses how he developed his leadership philosophy through a lifetime of adventures in the travel and tourism industry, and shows how it can be applied anywhere–not only in business, but also in community service, government, and everyday life.

Filled with in-depth insight and practical advice, The Power of We, explains the "Power of Partnerships" approach, focusing on six types of partnerships–your partnership with employees, customers, communities where you operate, other businesses, the government, and owners. You’ll learn how partnerships can help you:

• Eliminate or reduce obstacles by converting potential adversaries and enemies into allies and friends
• Expand your reach into markets and suppliers by gaining contacts, connections, and channels of communication beyond those you own
• Access resources, talents, and strengths controlled by other companies and organizations, thereby multiplying your capabilities and compensating for your limitations
• Align the interests of your organization with those of a broader community, so that anything that benefits one of your partners benefits you
• Reduce the amount of time, energy, and money that must be devoted to conflict resolution and stress management, freeing up resources for more productive pursuits
• Make your organization a more positive, ethical, and friendly place to work, which attracts better employees

Entertaining, informative, and filled with unique, revealing, and sometimes hilarious stories, The Power of We shows how bringing people together around common goals can make life in business both fun and deeply rewarding.

"In The Power of We, Jonathan Tisch reminds us again that working together still yields the best results. Jon has spent a lifetime mobilizing people and organizations to get a job done in business and in civic service. His experience, optimism, intelligence, and common sense are reflected in this fresh look at the rewards of partnerships."
–President Bill Clinton

"The Power of We,offers a clear and compelling lesson in how today’s business leaders can create new synergies and gain competitive advantage by learning how to partner successfully."
–Kenneth I. Chenault
Chairman and CEO
American Express Company

"Jon Tisch has lived the strategy he describes in The Power of We, and now this extraordinary man and successful leader shares his strategy with us. Building partnerships at all levels–social, intellectual, and political, as well as entrepreneurial–will be one of the keys to progress in the coming decades. Jon Tisch provides a road map for those who grasp that reality."
–John Sexton
President, New York University

"Being a leader requires vision, focus, and influence. Jonathan Tisch has exhibited all three in this great body of work about what it takes to be a partner and something bigger than yourself. The Power of We is a must read."
–Pat Riley
President, The Miami HEAT