Max De Pree (October 28, 1924 – August 8, 2017) was an American businessman and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
. A son of
D. J. De Pree, founder of
Herman Miller office furniture company, he and his brother Hugh De Pree assumed leadership of the company in the early 1960s, with Hugh becoming CEO and president in 1962. Max succeeded his brother Hugh as CEO in 1980 and served in that capacity till 1987; he was a member of the company's Board of Directors until 1995.
[Company Timeline](_blank)
on Herman Miller Company website
His book ''Leadership is an Art'' has sold more than 800,000 copies. In 1992, De Pree was inducted into the Junior Achievement's U.S. Business Hall of Fame. He was involved with the Max De Pree Center for Leadership at
Fuller Theological Seminary (established in 1996 as the De Pree Center) since its establishment. He died at his home in Holland, Michigan in 2017.
Studies
He had planned to become a doctor.
He studied at
Wheaton College but was interrupted by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He served in the
Army Medical Corps in the
European Theatre of Operations. Still in the Army, he studied at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
,
Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...
, and the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
. After his military service he attended
Hope College, graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in 1948.
Management style
He fostered the idea of an inclusive corporation, one in which all voices are heard. He was known for his efforts to combine a caring organization with business success.
As opposed to the idea of a
golden parachute
A golden parachute is an agreement between a company and an employee (usually an upper executive) specifying that the employee will receive certain significant benefits if employment is terminated. These may include severance pay, cash bonuses, ...
, he proposed the idea of a silver parachute, in which terminated employees who had worked more than 2 years for a company would receive benefits according to the number of years served.
He encouraged open communication in the organization. He was often heard to say "Err on the side of over-communication."
Works
*''Leadership is an Art''; Michigan State University Press (1987);
*''Leadership Jazz''; Dell Publishing (1993);
*''Dear Zoe''; Harper Collins (1996);
*''Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board''; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (2001);
*''Leading Without Power: Finding Hope in Serving Community''; John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. (2003);
References
External links
Personal profileat the Max De Pree Center for Leadership
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Pree, Max
1924 births
2017 deaths
American business writers
American motivational writers
Hope College alumni