Leadership Lessons from a UPS Driver: Delivering a Culture of We, Not Me

UPS is a household name and one of the most highly regarded American corporations by customers and investors alike.

Who hasn't been delighted by a right-ontime delivery, one of the 18 million UPS makes every day? Founded over 100 years ago, UPS has moved steadily up the Fortune 500 as so many other corporations have dropped off.

So what's the company's secret? Just ask a driver! Ron Wallace was a UPS driver for six years before he rose through the ranks to become president of UPS International.

In other companies that might be extraordinary, but for UPS it's par for the course.

UPS has a unique people culture.

It's like a family.

Package loaders call executives by their first names and vice versa.

The company almost always promotes from within.

Lifetime employment is common.

Most employees own UPS stock.