For those of us in various corporate roles that had the opportunity to work with Tom, his leadership traits were obvious and yet very unassuming. Leadership today is the hottest of all management fads, the tectonic boundary where business and self-help collide. To be a leader is a form of personal realization that many crave, but few, in truth, achieve.
The most minimum definition of a leader is someone whom others follow. Tom Phillips was much more.
In Doris Kearns Goodwin’s recent book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, which examines four American Presidents, she found a semblance of traits and patterns of behavior—among them humility, empathy, resilience, courage; the ability to replenish energy, listen to diverse opinions, control negative impulses, connect with all manner of people, communicate through stories and keep one’s word. This list represents most, if not all, of Tom’s characteristics and it is not surprising for most of us who knew him that they are shared with America’s top Presidents.
The end result at Raytheon during those years was a Corporate team which expressed great integrity in managing their own operations. Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, Contracts, Legal, Purchasing all exhibited similar characteristics. This provided an era that is almost unprecedented in today’s emphasis on short term results and outcomes. All stakeholders were considered; customers, employees, our communities and our country were paramount.
Tom Phillips passed away on January 9, 2019 at age 95.
His obituary, from the Boston Globe, is at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx…
Tom became Raytheon CEO in 1968 and Chairman 3 years later. He had a reputation for technical excellence, integrity and honesty.