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15 "all-terrain" leaders know how to motivate employees in tough times

New York, September 20, 2004—Fortune Small Business Magazine announced today its second annual list of Best Bosses, 15 outstanding "all-terrain" business leaders who are able to motivate employees through a rough patch of continued belt-tightening and also plot new ways to exploit the growth opportunities that are just emerging as the economy warms up. To compile the list, FSB collaborated with Winning Workplaces, a non-profit organization that helps small businesses adopt successful workplace practices. The list and related stories appear in the October 2004 issue of Fortune Small Business and are available on www.fsb.com and www.winningworkplaces.org from September 22.

Of the 15 on the list, "several have been tested by crises—from the sudden loss of a major revenue stream to increasing competition from powerful rivals," says writer Ellyn Spragins. "Success—and in some cases survival—depended upon making calculated bets that leveraged their employees' loyalty and clients." Other bosses "used creative methods to coax extraordinary performances out of their employees in daunting circumstances."../../p>

The Best Bosses for 2004 are Brad Nierenberg, Momentum Marketing Services; Ron Huston, Advanced Circuits; Diana Pohly, Pohly & Partners; Louis Stanasolovich, Legend Financial Advisors; Don & Hapy Mayer, Small Dog Electronics; C. David Moody, C.D. Moody Construction; Stephen Baird, Baird & Warner; Georgia Berner, Berner International; Matt Bowen, ALOFT Group; Rick Faulk, Intranets.com; Jeffrey Gitterman, Gitterman & Sacks; John Heaton, Pay Plus Benefits; John Pennisi, Medical Management Resources; Elaine Tajima, Tajima Creative; and Susan Torroella, Columbia Medcom Group.

FSB and Winning Workplaces combed the country for six months and identified 210 nominees, who were asked about employee tenure, benefits, management challenges, and metrics for measuring success. From this list, FSB and Winning Workplaces chose 35 finalists, who answered a second set of questions about employee training, financial incentives, and information sharing. The finalists were then evaluated by a panel of judges: Ed Gubman, co-founder of Strategic Talent Solutions; Myra Hart, a professor at the Harvard Business School; Rosemary Jordano, founder of Children-First; Mary Clark executive director of Winning Workplaces; and Ken Lehman, chairman of Winning Workplaces. "It is clear that maintaining good workplace practices is especially important in a weak economic climate when fewer people are asked to do more in uncertain conditions," says Kenneth Lehman, chairman of Evanston, IL-based Winning Workplaces.

"If our Best Bosses prove anything," says Spragins, "it's that there are lots of ways to develop the kind of allegiance that keeps a company running through the slop and poised for acceleration."

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