In the Author Spotlight ... Peter W. Schutz, author of The Driving Force

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In the Author Spotlight ...
Peter W. Schutz, author of The Driving Force

Born in Berlin, Germany in 1930, Peter W. Schutz moved to Chicago when he was 11 years old. Now operating his own company, Harris & Schutz Inc., he is a leadership mentor who speaks on management and marketing to business audiences worldwide. In his new book, The Driving Force, Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People, Peter passes his experiences on to others in the hope that they might benefit from them.

Peter's background in engineering--coupled with his experience in marketing and management as CEO of Porsche AG, based in Stuttgart, Germany --gives him a unique perspective on business today. "In various phases of it, I was exposed to a number of outstanding people who were patient enough to serve as mentors to me. Their input, much of which I was privileged to put into practice in a career that has spanned over fifty-six years to date, resulted in a number of successes along with some failure," he says.

Porsche was in considerable difficulty when Peter was named CEO. "The company had experienced its first money loosing operating year, and was about halfway through another disappointing one. Morale was low, and enthusiasm and passion were at a low ebb. My assignment from the founder, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, was to fix the underlying problem(s)," Peter explains.

During the Schutz tenure, Porsche worldwide sales grew from 28,000 units in 1980 - 81 to a peak of 53,000 units in 1986. Revenues went from DM 850 million to over DM 3.7 billion. "To this day I believe that Porsche, a very successful organization, is not characterized by superstars, but rather by enthusiasm and passion in all members of the company," he says.

Peter received the "Outstanding Achievement Award" from his Alma Mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1983, and was honored with the "Henry Heald Award" in 1987. This award is given to honor those who have exemplified exceptional ethics and business practices in their field. Other recipients of this award include: Mees van der Rohe, Edward Teller, Ted Turner, Bill Hewlitt, Buckminster Fuller and Jonas Salk.

Peter has been married for 25 years to Sheila Harris-Schutz, who he gives a lot of credit for his success. "Without her, the chances are neither my career nor The Driving Force book would ever have come to pass without her," he smiles. He has three wonderful children from my first marriage: Lori and her identical twin brothers, Michel and Michael. To date there are three grandsons. He also has a wonderful pet Bichon Frisee called Sasha, who does not realize that she is a dog. His hobbies include a shop in which he had restored a number of vintage automobiles and trucks.

Peter continues to have a full schedule of presentations and convention keynote speeches on his calendar. The past ten years have averaged about 70 such events per year.

For more information on Peter W. Schutz
please visit http://www.harrisandschutzinc.com

To purchase your copy of The Driving Force ,
visit http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/01516.htm

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