The Accountable Organization--Reclaiming Integrity, Restoring Trust

John Marchica

Published by Davies-Black Publishing, a division of CPP, Inc., 3803 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303; 800-624-1765.

Special discounts on bulk quantities of Davies-Black books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact the Director of Marketing and Sales at Davies-Black Publishing; 650-691-9123; fax [phone].

Copyright © 2004 John Marchica

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Davies-Black and colophon are registered trademarks of CPP, Inc. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers-Briggs, and MBTI are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust in the United States and other countries. Eudora is a registered trademark of QUALCOMM Incorporated. iTunes is a registered trademark and iPod is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Tylenol is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson.

Visit the Davies-Black Publishing web site at http://www.daviesblack.com.

08 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Marchica, John.
The accountable organization: reclaiming integrity, restoring trust / John Marchica.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

0-89106-185-1

(hardcover)
1. Social responsibility of business. 2. Business ethics. I. Title.
HD60.M3647 2004
658.4'08—dc22
2003028302

FIRST EDITION
First printing 2004

For Antonio, Michael, and Gabriela.
In memory of Tom Richardson.

Acknowledgments

As anyone who has written a book will attest, attempting to acknowledge all of those who have influenced the process is an impossible exercise. This book is a culmination of experiences; every day I continue to work on and learn from my personal and professional relationships. In one way or another, all of the important people in my life have contributed to my understanding of the topics in this book.

My wife, Cristina, was the first to celebrate with me when I first received an agreement from Davies-Black Publishing to write The Accountable Organization. (Neither of us knew at the time what I was getting into—but ask either one of us, and we'd do it again.) Some authors have compared writing books to raising children. Well, our three children were all under the age of five during the writing of this book, and I thank my wife for all the extra hours and support she provided while I was tapping away on my PowerBook. Cristina, amid our frenetic lives and a house full of toddlers, you never once doubted me—and for that I am eternally grateful.

This project was conceived and completed collaboratively with Elisa Gueffier, my close friend and long-time FWI writer/editor. Elisa provided much of the research and interview transcriptions, and, thankfully, prodded me through frustrating bouts of writer's block. She skillfully edited my often-disconnected thoughts and, through countless, patient hours of feedback, helped me to become a better writer. I am grateful to Elisa for her constant encouragement and for her tireless work in helping to complete this book. I've never met a better writer, or one who sets the bar for personal excellence so high.

Thanks to my publishing consultant and agent, Roland Elgey, for his wisdom, guidance, and support in helping this book make it to market. Roland was present in all the early meetings for the book, ensured that we found the right publishing partner, and provided invaluable guidance throughout the process.

My parents, John and Emily Marchica, helped me to understand at a very early age the importance of honesty and honor. And beyond even what parents provide, throughout the years they've given me unwavering support. I thank my brother, Ray, for being there in the most difficult of times, and for providing an important role model for guerilla entrepreneurship. Christina, more a sister than sister-in-law, is a constant reminder of the power of determination and courage. And in so many ways, the rest of my extended family—Cassandra, Dominic, Angelia, Dario, Carlos, Frank, Art, Eva, and others—have shown me how The Accountable Organization has meaning in life as well as in business.

I'm indebted to the people of FWI—both past and present—for all the work they do, for their tireless efforts in producing a terrific product. I've learned many lessons in leadership through our shared experience of growing a company. I hope that they, too, have enjoyed the ride.

I owe special gratitude to my friends and mentors James Newton, Michael and Michelle Saul, Bev Foster, Sue Muck, and Lauryn Rice. They helped me to understand the true importance of accountability and integrity in business and in life, and why this was a topic that deserved a book.

I'd further like to acknowledge the many reviewers of The Accountable Organization, whose insights helped crystallize my thinking: Brendan Baker, Stephen Chavez, Sandy Costa, Don Harmon, Alan Hirshman, Don Lorenzen, Cristina Marchica, John D. Marchica, Brett McClain, Fred Prillaman, Tom Rough, Allison Smith, Lucian Spataro, Stacey Vrbas, David Wolfenden, and Keven Zeigler.

Additionally, thanks to those who have provided crucial support to me at various points in my business experience, especially Steve Achenbach, John Adams, Bob Allard, Bob Altman, Roy Andersen, Karlene Arnold, Debby Baker, Haley Balzano, Gene Barinholtz, Trish Bear, Arthur Bill, Frank Bill, Bob Bingham, Chris Bleck, Grant Bogle, Brian Bowen, Phil Breidenbach, Craig Budwitz, Bruce Bunyan, Larry Carbone, Cristina Carlino, Bill Carlson, Ole Carlson, Bill Chase, Sue Cisco, Steve Cohn, Peter Conradi, Troy Darling, Deryk David, Tom Dee, John Del Giorno, Mike Denning, Jan Fisher, Scott Flanders, Paul Foulger, Bob Gear, Martin Gilligan, Dave Goffredo, Jeffrey Gossrow, Dane Hartung, Craig Hedges, John Hines, John Kadlic, Bob Kelly, Chris Keubler, Mike Killion, Louis Kirby, Tom Knight, Barry Labinger, Tom Larson, Dave Lee, Steve Levine, Cheryl Lubbert, Tom Markey, Rick Martin, Suzanne McDonald, Arlene Meyers, Mary Michael, David Misiak, Mike Motto, David Murphy, David Newbart, Jamie Ogle, Tip Parker, Jeff Parkhill, Blasine Penkowski, Audrey Petty, Nhat Phung, Laura Piel, Steve Pittendrigh, Rick Plotz, Jonathan Pochyly, John Powers, Chau Pyatt, Julio Quintana, Jeffrey Rausch, John Richter, Gary Ruben, Susan Rudolphi, Frank Schab, Susan Scott, Raymond Spencer, Tim Spooner, Steve Steiber, Pat Stoner, Richard Stout, Dan Sullivan, Chris and Jana Valle, Khristen Vanderwey, John Vehr, Tom Watkins, Craig Weber, Andrew Welch, Jerry Wenker, and Steve Williams. Each of you has influenced the ideas in this book, even if in the moment you didn't know it.

This book wouldn't have been possible without the commitment and dedication of Davies-Black Publishing, especially my editor, Connie Kallback; Laura Simonds, director of marketing and sales; and Lee Langhammer Law, publisher. Mark Chambers skillfully provided final editing and proofing.

About the Author

John Marchica is founder and CEO of FWI, a medical information services provider based in Scottsdale, Arizona, that has been named twice to the Inc. 500 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. He has been recognized as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was among the youngest chairs named by TEC, the international business coaching and peer-group organization for CEOs. A frequent keynote speaker on trust-based marketing and the principles presented in The Accountable Organization, he holds a B.A. degree in economics from Knox College, an M.A. degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, and an M.B.A. degree, also from the University of Chicago. His web site can be found at http://www.johnmarchica.com.