HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013923.jpg
2.1 MB
Extraction Summary
6
People
4
Organizations
2
Locations
0
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / evidence document (house oversight committee)
File Size:
2.1 MB
Summary
This document appears to be a page from a business management book (resembling Tim Ferriss's 'The 4-Hour Workweek') stamped with a House Oversight Committee identifier. It discusses the concept of a 'Remote-Control CEO' through the case study of Stephen McDonnell of Applegate Farms, who manages his company remotely from Pennsylvania to foster a process-driven business model. The text highlights revenue growth and the benefits of removing the 'human element' from operational architecture.
People (6)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen McDonnell | CEO of Applegate Farms |
Subject of a case study on remote leadership; works from home in flip-flops.
|
| Herb | Business figure (implied Herb Kelleher) |
Mentioned in opening anecdote regarding handling employees (gives hugs).
|
| Revson | Business figure (implied Charles Revson) |
Mentioned in opening anecdote regarding handling employees (aggressive approach).
|
| Henry Ward Beecher | U.S. Abolitionist and Clergyman |
Quoted at the beginning of the chapter.
|
| Wayne Huizenga | Deal-maker |
Mentioned as someone who copied McDonald's org chart for Blockbuster.
|
| Guardian of the Emerald City Gates | Fictional Character |
Quoted from The Wizard of Oz.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Applegate Farms |
Company run by Stephen McDonnell.
|
|
| McDonald's |
Cited as a model for organizational charts.
|
|
| Blockbuster |
Company expanded by Wayne Huizenga.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document (implied by footer stamp).
|
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Rural Pennsylvania
|
Location of the stone farmhouse where McDonnell works.
|
|
Bridgewater, New Jersey
|
Location of Applegate Farms headquarters.
|
Relationships (1)
McDonnell is identified as the CEO of Applegate Farms.
Key Quotes (3)
"Remove the human element."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013923.jpg
Quote #1
"Once you have a product that sells, it’s time to design a self-correcting business architecture that runs itself."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013923.jpg
Quote #2
"Limiting contact with managers forces the entrepreneur to develop operational rules that enable others to deal with problems themselves instead of calling for help."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013923.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,553 characters)
employees—how to handle the human element. Herb tells you to give them a hug, Revson tells you to kick them in the balls, and I tell you to solve the problem by eliminating it altogether: Remove the human element.
Once you have a product that sells, it’s time to design a self-correcting business architecture that runs itself.
Once you have a product that sells, it’s time to design a self-correcting business architecture that runs itself.
The Remote-Control CEO
The power of hiding ourselves from one another is mercifully given, for men are wild beasts, and would devour one another but for this protection.
—HENRY WARD BEECHER, U.S. abolitionist and clergyman, “Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit”
—HENRY WARD BEECHER, U.S. abolitionist and clergyman, “Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit”
RURAL PENNSYLVANIA
In a 200-year-old stone farmhouse, a quiet “experiment in 21st-century leadership” is proceeding exactly as planned.51 Stephen McDonnell is upstairs in his flip-flops looking at a spreadsheet on his computer. His company has increased its annual revenue 30% per year since it all began, and he is able to spend more time with his three daughters than he ever thought possible.
The experiment? As CEO of Applegate Farms, he insists on spending just one day per week at the company headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He’s not the only CEO who spends time at home, of course—there are hundreds who have heart attacks or nervous breakdowns and need time to recover—but there is a huge difference. McDonnell has been doing it for more than 17 years. Rarer still, he started doing it just six months after founding the company.
This intentional absence has enabled him to create a process-driven instead of founder-driven business. Limiting contact with managers forces the entrepreneur to develop operational rules that enable others to deal with problems themselves instead of calling for help.
This isn’t just for small operations. Applegate Farms sells more than 120 organic and natural meat products to high-end retailers and generates more than $35 million in revenue per year.
It is all possible because McDonnell started with the end in mind.
The experiment? As CEO of Applegate Farms, he insists on spending just one day per week at the company headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He’s not the only CEO who spends time at home, of course—there are hundreds who have heart attacks or nervous breakdowns and need time to recover—but there is a huge difference. McDonnell has been doing it for more than 17 years. Rarer still, he started doing it just six months after founding the company.
This intentional absence has enabled him to create a process-driven instead of founder-driven business. Limiting contact with managers forces the entrepreneur to develop operational rules that enable others to deal with problems themselves instead of calling for help.
This isn’t just for small operations. Applegate Farms sells more than 120 organic and natural meat products to high-end retailers and generates more than $35 million in revenue per year.
It is all possible because McDonnell started with the end in mind.
Behind the Scenes: The Muse Architecture
Orders are nobody can see the Great Oz! Not nobody, not nohow!
—GUARDIAN OF THE EMERALD CITY GATES, The Wizard of Oz
—GUARDIAN OF THE EMERALD CITY GATES, The Wizard of Oz
Starting with the end in mind—an organizational map of what the eventual business will look like—is not new.
Infamous deal-maker Wayne Huizenga copied the org chart of McDonald’s to turn Blockbuster into a billion-dollar behemoth, and dozens of titans have done much the same. In our case, it’s the “end in mind” that is different. Our goal isn’t to create a business that is as large as possible, but rather a
Infamous deal-maker Wayne Huizenga copied the org chart of McDonald’s to turn Blockbuster into a billion-dollar behemoth, and dozens of titans have done much the same. In our case, it’s the “end in mind” that is different. Our goal isn’t to create a business that is as large as possible, but rather a
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013923
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