DHL

Chapter 18 Adolescence to Adulthood

Mission Almost Accomplished

When Bill Walden retired, most of what he set out to achieve had in his own terms been accomplished. In simple terms there was structure, process and financial discipline. Respect for budgets. Tight controls in terms of what contributes to building a strong balance sheet and tight oversight on brand and image. Loose in almost every other respect. What had been cherished by the founders, in terms of people power, had been saved. DHL was a recognized global leader in its field and among its peers; the amorphous nature of the “mess with money” that he surveyed in 1979 had taken greater form. But not a traditional form—a network form—a different type of multinational, closer to that ...