Nardelli might call this "sweat equity" -- to ask others to sweat, a CEO must get his hands dirty, a particularly apt phrase in Nardelli's case as he is CEO of Home Depot. (Reingold 2005:76). Nardelli feels equally comfortable plugging his company in public and touting the company brand as he is working behind the scenes, spending a day in the garden department to see how employees are trained to treat customers and how the standard operating procedures of Home Depot work in the lived world of everyday business. A leader must centralize everything in the Nardelli philosophy, and improve everything he touches. Nardelli's philosophy is almost like a military philosophy in that it gives great responsibility...

A leader must carefully monitor data and to try to improve everything, even the most minute aspects of the organization. But with this great responsibility also comes the willingness to be intensely egalitarian in his relationships with others, to permeate his philosophy of improvement throughout the organization. Nardelli mentors talented members of the organization and instills his philosophy of constant, continuous improvement in these individuals.
Works Cited

Reingold, Jennifer. (Dec 2005). "Bob Nardelli is Watching." (Fastcompany.com). Retrieved 10 Aug 2007 at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/101/nardelli.html