I’d like to thank Barry Nelson for being the first person to respond to our email notification about AgriMarketing Pros. Barry pointed me to the press/news center of the John Deere website for the latest information from Deere and Co.

The latest is about the release of a new book.

THE JOHN DEERE WAY: Performance that Endures by author and journalist David Magee (Wiley; April 2005; $24.95, Cloth) is the story of how Robert Lane and his management team have kept John Deere at the top of its game.

The book is available at Amazon.com: The John Deere Way

The book contains some of the “secrets” to the company’s success such as:

I will not put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me.
If we don’t improve our products, others will make them in our place.
Always maintain integrity.
Concentrate on areas where you have a clear competitive advantage.
It is more important in business to listen than to lead.
It is more valuable to link than to leverage.
It is better to be lean than laden.
In a rigorously competitive market, virtue is necessary for sustained value creation.
It is important to build a business as great as your products.

Sounds like some great lessons for any business, including ours!