Fedex Overview

FedEx is the world's largest express delivery, ground small-parcel delivery, less-than-truckload freight delivery, supply chain management, customs brokerage, trade facilitation and e-commerce solutions company with more than 145,000 employee's worldwide and delivering more than 3.2 million packages daily. They command a fleet of 634 aircraft and more than 42,500 vehicles. FedEx offers various international packages and document delivery services to 214 countries, as well as international freight services and also offers commercial and military charter services. On 12-Feb-2004, FedEx Group acquired Kinko's, Inc. Now it also provides document solutions and business services, including copying and printing services, signs and graphics, videoconferencing, high-speed wireless and wired Internet access and computer usage.

FedEx is best known for its by-line of "when it absolutely, positively has to get there". This is but one reason FedEx is the leader in the industry. Fred Smith founded FedEx in April of 1973. Smith incorporated such management principles that have made FedEx an overnight success. These principles have made FedEx employees show unprecedented dedication to their work and to their company. On August 20, 1997 - Federal Express Corp. distributed an approximate $20 million Special Appreciation Bonus to nearly 90,000 U.S. operations employees in recognition of their extraordinary efforts. It's no idle boast to say that they are a family.

One reason FedEx is a corporate leader is it's an organization filled with individual leaders. Indeed, the company has designed the process by which it turns rank-and- file employees into middle managers (and then senior leaders) with as much creativity and attention to detail as the process by which it sorts packages in its Memphis hub.

According to FedEx, its best leaders share nine personal attributes such as charisma, individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, courage, dependability, flexibility, integrity, judgment and respect for others, which the company defines with remarkable specificity. FedEx also has a system for rating aspiring leaders on whether they posses these attributes. The flat management structure minimized the distance between leaders and frontline workers. This has an affect of empowering employees and expanding their responsibilities. Employees who feel empowered through open communication, training, quality improvement tools, and excellent leadership gain the freedom to take risk and innovate in the pursuit of quality and service for both internal and external customers.

The company rank of priorities sets "People" first. This goal is measured through a tool known as Survey-Feedback-Action (SFA) in which subordinates express their opinions of their leader's performance. Thus, says the CEO "every action, every planning process, and every business decisions, requires extraordinary commitment from every manager and every employee" reason why Frederick Smith dedicates 25% of his time taking care of personnel subjects. FedEx management, together with investors and clients want to know what makes people good leaders and how new leaders learn? FedEx has a leadership curriculum that takes up to 14 months to complete which teaches new managers the proper management skills required in order to be successful. "Most people don't realize all the rewards that management has to offer", says Bill Hooker, a senior human-resources specialist at FedEx. "They also don't realize all the frustrations".

Every year, about 3,000 FedEx employees decide they are ready for management positions, however, FedEx CEO Fred Smith realized that more than 10% of first time managers were leaving the company within 14 months of taking on their new assignment. FedEx implemented LEAP - Leadership Evaluation and Awareness Process. This is a process to improve leadership effectiveness and retention within FedEx. LEAP is compulsory for any employee who wants to progress to management level positions within the company. The purpose of LEAP is to evaluate a candidate's leadership potential and ensure that the individual carefully considers his or her interest in and aptitude for leadership.

A candidate must complete the following process to become LEAP-endorsed:

* "Is Management for Me?" a one-day class that familiarizes candidates with managerial responsibilities.

* Employee's Leadership Profile: the employee documents successful demonstration of the nine leadership dimensions required to successfully complete the LEAP process.

* Manager's Focused Recommendation: the written report from the employee's manager supporting or opposing the candidate's leadership capabilities. It is usually prepared after a three- to six-month period during which the manager coaches and evaluates the employee.

* Peer Assessment: an evaluation of the candidate, completed by three to ten of the