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Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius and Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harrison
Hunter Harrison, the revolutionary railroader from Memphis, dramatically turned four publicly traded companies into cash machines. Starting as a laborer when he was a wayward teenager, Harrison spent a half century in the rail business and nearly two decades running Illinois Central, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and CSX.
Never accepting the status quo, Harrison not only renovated established railroads, he forced an industry to shape up. As the pre-eminent proponent of Precision Scheduled Railroading, Harrison created approximately $50 billion in shareholder value. Charming, intimidating, and not afraid to make enemies, the no-bullshit CEO let nothing get in his way. At the same time, he was a talent scout and coach to thousands, and a devoted father and husband for more than fifty years.
Railroader offers insights into running all businesses. Howard Green's highly personal biography is deeply researched, based on conversations with Harrison over several years. It also includes candid stories from Harrison's family and colleagues - those who admired him and those who criticized him. Green's access and decades of experience give him the unparalleled ability to tell the story of this uncompromising leader who both inspired and infuriated.
Never accepting the status quo, Harrison not only renovated established railroads, he forced an industry to shape up. As the pre-eminent proponent of Precision Scheduled Railroading, Harrison created approximately $50 billion in shareholder value. Charming, intimidating, and not afraid to make enemies, the no-bullshit CEO let nothing get in his way. At the same time, he was a talent scout and coach to thousands, and a devoted father and husband for more than fifty years.
Railroader offers insights into running all businesses. Howard Green's highly personal biography is deeply researched, based on conversations with Harrison over several years. It also includes candid stories from Harrison's family and colleagues - those who admired him and those who criticized him. Green's access and decades of experience give him the unparalleled ability to tell the story of this uncompromising leader who both inspired and infuriated.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 11, 2019
First full disclosure – I worked with the subject of this biography for nine months in 1989 at his first “success” story … the Illinois Central. I remained from the old management team, and he came in on the new team.
As to the book: I give it four stars … it was an entertaining read, a bit more hagiography than biography, but an engrossing tale about a guy who generated a lot of shareholder value in three different companies in the railroad industry. If you measure a man’s success by the amount of money he made for shareholders … then Hunter was a big success and he didn’t have many peers. Green’s book captures all the moves and mayhem in Hunter’s interesting career at three major railroads. While the story gives short shrift to the Illinois Central puzzle piece, it dwells on the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific parts much longer.
As to the subject: Hunter was one of those guys who burned brightly and both ends of the candle. He drank a lot, he smoked a lot, and he cussed a lot … all to say he was one of those characters who came across larger than life. On his way to reforming three companies, he trod on a lot of toes. Lots of people got fired and lots of people made millions. Hunter was a man of his times and landed at these companies at the right time in the right circumstance. He generated billions of dollars in shareholder value at the two Canadian railroads. He did not generate as much windfall at the Illinois Central because previous management had already done a lot of the heavy lifting … thus I disagree with the author’s notes that the Illinois Central was on the brink (46) and on the verge of bankruptcy (253). But the Illinois Central was important to the tale because it was Hunter’s jumping off point.
All in all this is an intriguing biography of an achiever, and if you like railroads and corporate interplay you’ll like this tale
As to the book: I give it four stars … it was an entertaining read, a bit more hagiography than biography, but an engrossing tale about a guy who generated a lot of shareholder value in three different companies in the railroad industry. If you measure a man’s success by the amount of money he made for shareholders … then Hunter was a big success and he didn’t have many peers. Green’s book captures all the moves and mayhem in Hunter’s interesting career at three major railroads. While the story gives short shrift to the Illinois Central puzzle piece, it dwells on the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific parts much longer.
As to the subject: Hunter was one of those guys who burned brightly and both ends of the candle. He drank a lot, he smoked a lot, and he cussed a lot … all to say he was one of those characters who came across larger than life. On his way to reforming three companies, he trod on a lot of toes. Lots of people got fired and lots of people made millions. Hunter was a man of his times and landed at these companies at the right time in the right circumstance. He generated billions of dollars in shareholder value at the two Canadian railroads. He did not generate as much windfall at the Illinois Central because previous management had already done a lot of the heavy lifting … thus I disagree with the author’s notes that the Illinois Central was on the brink (46) and on the verge of bankruptcy (253). But the Illinois Central was important to the tale because it was Hunter’s jumping off point.
All in all this is an intriguing biography of an achiever, and if you like railroads and corporate interplay you’ll like this tale
January 3, 2019
Howard Green has hit the nail directly on the head, and as diplomatically as at all possible, in this biography of one of North America's most controversial CEOs. The transportation industry post-NAFTA needed a change agent. North American railroads became, when 'hunterized', global leaders in managing freight operations and are a key factor in North American competitiveness. This book does an admirable job of managing to tell both the story of the person, and the story of the railroads he ran, and paint an accurate picture of Canadian-U.S. business cultural differences. An excellent read no matter what side of the border you live on!
June 24, 2021
One of the best business biographies I've read in years. Howard Green's book on Hunter Harrison is a multifaceted look at the greatest railroad CEO of all time. Green effectively balances the examination of both the personality and business accomplishments of the 4-time railroad CEO.
Harrison's larger-than-life story started in his teenage years when he worked at a rail yard. Eventually, he rose to be the CEO of Illinois Continental, a relatively small Class I railroad (at least $250mm in annual revenues) in the US. Harrison was known for his intimate knowledge of all the ins and outs of railroad operations, having risen from the very bottom of the railroad to be the CEO. He implemented a set of ideas which later came to be known as Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). PSR was built on the then-radical idea that if trains were scheduled at specific times and left at specific times, they could deliver faster service and gain pricing power. Although this sounds obvious, coordinating a large railway system was logistically very complex, and few trains ever left on time before Harrison changed the industry. Hunter Harrison was relentless on pushing for efficiencies, which meant driving his workers harder, having fewer workers overall, and increasing asset utilization to minimize time that trains weren't moving. Harrison was able to take the operating ratio (OR), which represents the percentage of revenues spent on operating expenses, of IC from the high-90s all the way into the high-50s, a 40% improvement, in his time as CEO. Eventually, IC was acquired by Canadian National (CN), where Hunter would later become CEO and implement PSR into a larger railway system.
Harrison did amazing work for CN, but he was eventually pushed out as CEO when the board decided it was time to plan for succession. Although transition was planned well ahead of time, Harrison always felt bitter about the way his career at CN ended. Part of this was due to his hard-driving nature and his inability to walk away from the industry that had come to define his life. Fortunately, he would have a third act. The activist hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management took a large position in Canadian Pacific (CP), the other large Canadian railroad, and recruited Harrison to be CEO. CP was the worst-performing railroad in terms of operating metrics, while Harrison was a proven operator. Bill Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square, was able to launch a successful activist campaign to replace the board and the CEO, installing Harrison on a 4-year contract. Harrison went to work quickly, taking CP's OR from the mid-80s to the high-50s in ~3.5 years. Harrison did it again, making shareholders like Pershing Square billions of dollars in the process. The partner at Pershing Square who led the campaign, Paul Hilal, had a fourth act in mind for Harrison.
Paul Hilal led Pershing's investment in CP, but wanted to strike out on his own. He raised a billion dollars for his own new fund, Mantle Ridge, which he told investors would be deployed into a railroad investment he had in mind. Hilal took a large position in CSX, an American railroad servicing the eastern US, and recruited Harrison to become CEO. By this time, Harrison was in his early 70s, and his health was beginning to falter. On top of that, Harrison was still the CEO of CP, subject to a non-compete, and would be owed $100 million in pay if he were to leave. Hilal was able to negotiate a successful exit for Harrison and install him as CEO of CSX, although at a steep price. The day that this was announced, CSX's stock jumped ~12 percent. Harrison managed to work at CSX for just ~9 months, before dying from health complications in December of 2017. Yet in the short time he was at CSX, he made an enormous impact, cutting thousands of jobs and improving the OR of CSX by ~5%.
The book was exciting to read. It's an All-American story of a man with extreme energy, passion, and dedication to railroading. Although Harrison was characterized by many to be a mean, hardheaded CEO, others close to him knew him as a kind and generous mentor. For employees, he was often a menace as he had little patience for incompetence or waste. For shareholders, he was a savior, turning around some of the worst railroad operations to industry leaders. This book does a great job of painting the picture of a storied business career.
Harrison's larger-than-life story started in his teenage years when he worked at a rail yard. Eventually, he rose to be the CEO of Illinois Continental, a relatively small Class I railroad (at least $250mm in annual revenues) in the US. Harrison was known for his intimate knowledge of all the ins and outs of railroad operations, having risen from the very bottom of the railroad to be the CEO. He implemented a set of ideas which later came to be known as Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). PSR was built on the then-radical idea that if trains were scheduled at specific times and left at specific times, they could deliver faster service and gain pricing power. Although this sounds obvious, coordinating a large railway system was logistically very complex, and few trains ever left on time before Harrison changed the industry. Hunter Harrison was relentless on pushing for efficiencies, which meant driving his workers harder, having fewer workers overall, and increasing asset utilization to minimize time that trains weren't moving. Harrison was able to take the operating ratio (OR), which represents the percentage of revenues spent on operating expenses, of IC from the high-90s all the way into the high-50s, a 40% improvement, in his time as CEO. Eventually, IC was acquired by Canadian National (CN), where Hunter would later become CEO and implement PSR into a larger railway system.
Harrison did amazing work for CN, but he was eventually pushed out as CEO when the board decided it was time to plan for succession. Although transition was planned well ahead of time, Harrison always felt bitter about the way his career at CN ended. Part of this was due to his hard-driving nature and his inability to walk away from the industry that had come to define his life. Fortunately, he would have a third act. The activist hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management took a large position in Canadian Pacific (CP), the other large Canadian railroad, and recruited Harrison to be CEO. CP was the worst-performing railroad in terms of operating metrics, while Harrison was a proven operator. Bill Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square, was able to launch a successful activist campaign to replace the board and the CEO, installing Harrison on a 4-year contract. Harrison went to work quickly, taking CP's OR from the mid-80s to the high-50s in ~3.5 years. Harrison did it again, making shareholders like Pershing Square billions of dollars in the process. The partner at Pershing Square who led the campaign, Paul Hilal, had a fourth act in mind for Harrison.
Paul Hilal led Pershing's investment in CP, but wanted to strike out on his own. He raised a billion dollars for his own new fund, Mantle Ridge, which he told investors would be deployed into a railroad investment he had in mind. Hilal took a large position in CSX, an American railroad servicing the eastern US, and recruited Harrison to become CEO. By this time, Harrison was in his early 70s, and his health was beginning to falter. On top of that, Harrison was still the CEO of CP, subject to a non-compete, and would be owed $100 million in pay if he were to leave. Hilal was able to negotiate a successful exit for Harrison and install him as CEO of CSX, although at a steep price. The day that this was announced, CSX's stock jumped ~12 percent. Harrison managed to work at CSX for just ~9 months, before dying from health complications in December of 2017. Yet in the short time he was at CSX, he made an enormous impact, cutting thousands of jobs and improving the OR of CSX by ~5%.
The book was exciting to read. It's an All-American story of a man with extreme energy, passion, and dedication to railroading. Although Harrison was characterized by many to be a mean, hardheaded CEO, others close to him knew him as a kind and generous mentor. For employees, he was often a menace as he had little patience for incompetence or waste. For shareholders, he was a savior, turning around some of the worst railroad operations to industry leaders. This book does a great job of painting the picture of a storied business career.
March 2, 2023
It was kind of a neat perspective this railroading “ genius”. I worked at Cn during the Hunter era as a unionized employee I did my job and had nonissues although many did
He was mostly known for being a hard ass but the one thing I appreciated was that he was a railroader who started in a rail yard.
He was mostly known for being a hard ass but the one thing I appreciated was that he was a railroader who started in a rail yard.
March 28, 2019
What a surprisingly good book. No expectations other than it was on Bill Gates' list, which is usually well filtered.
1. Learned a lot about railroads. 2. And business. 3. Great writing. 4. Very interesting subject. 5 stars!
1. Learned a lot about railroads. 2. And business. 3. Great writing. 4. Very interesting subject. 5 stars!
October 20, 2018
Such a well written action packed read! I used to work in the rail industry and many that know of EHH have no shortage of opinions about him and the work that he's done. This book does a good job at providing a more holistic view of him and his life's work. Given being in the industry, I was at a high level aware of some of the major events that took place (CN absorbing IC, The CP proxy fight, the failed merger attempt with NS, etc.) but this book provides the "fly on the wall" detail of how many of those events transpired. There are also quite a few EHH leadership lessons that provide an interesting perspective on how he led. You don't find many leaders (if any) like this anymore. The book is a must read, specifically for anyone in the transportation industry or who has slightly more than a passing interest in the unique railroad industry.
March 21, 2019
Howard Green captures the subject of his book -- serial railroad CEO Hunter Harrison -- in all his rough-edged, larger-than-life glory. The book is exhaustively researched and stuffed with vivid anecdotes that make reading a pleasure. Green has an easy-going, transparent prose style that serves both the reader and Harrison himself perfectly. You don't have to love trains to love this book, but you're certain to be dazzled by them -- and the people who run them -- by the time you put this epic biography down.
June 4, 2021
I have actually expected to learn more about precision railroading, the intricacies of car switching at hump yards, inventorisation, simplified routing networks and the use of more granular operational metrics rather than an OP, a number of locomotives and other crude metrics. I did not enjoy that much a Harrison persona-centric narrative of the book... it sounded like a memoir or autobiography for hire. Some of the details of proxy battles were given way too much detail which made me want to skip some sections of the book. Otherwise a useful but not overwhelming read.
October 23, 2018
This book is an outstanding review of the life and career of arguably the most influential railroader of the modern era. It is a great read for anyone interested in business, but especially those of us interested in railroading. This book is a must-read.
October 26, 2018
The author does a pretty good job being neutral about such a polarizing character, though I imagine many railroad employees will find it too flattering to Harrison. However you felt about him though, he led a fascinating life and this book captures that life well.
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March 24, 2022He was an unsentimental efficiency wizard who’d risen to the top by lopping expenses, maximizing the use of assets, and creating enormous value for shareholders.
While Sir Richard Branson advised executives to focus on employees first, customers second, and investors third, Harrison reversed the priorities: investors came first. For him the game was capitalism, pure and simple.
turning around three major railroads: Illinois Central (IC), Canadian National (CN), and Canadian Pacific (CP).
The impact of the railroad boom of the late 1800s was akin to the internet blossoming in the 2000s.
got richer and rougher.
Harrison was a compound of innovator, eld general, motivational preacher, eciency expert, and virtuoso of railroad minutiae.
he knew how a railroad worked in such molecular detail that he could envision how inecient scenarios would play out and how to avoid them. He became a piece of very high-end, pricey human software with the nose of a bloodhound.
Harrison had little patience for boards. Put simply, they were a pain, a waste of time and money. They didn’t increase shareholder value or improve the operating ratio (OR), the key metric for a railroad that’s constantly scrutinized by investors.
“You’ve got it all backwards. You should be spending 80 percent of your time coaching and teaching and 20 percent on all the other stu. If you spend your time developing people, you won’t have to be running everywhere.” When it came to people, Hunter Harrison was only interested in merit. He didn’t give anyone a pass, even family.
“If you could work on anything you wanted, what would you want to work on?”
While Sir Richard Branson advised executives to focus on employees first, customers second, and investors third, Harrison reversed the priorities: investors came first. For him the game was capitalism, pure and simple.
turning around three major railroads: Illinois Central (IC), Canadian National (CN), and Canadian Pacific (CP).
The impact of the railroad boom of the late 1800s was akin to the internet blossoming in the 2000s.
got richer and rougher.
Harrison was a compound of innovator, eld general, motivational preacher, eciency expert, and virtuoso of railroad minutiae.
he knew how a railroad worked in such molecular detail that he could envision how inecient scenarios would play out and how to avoid them. He became a piece of very high-end, pricey human software with the nose of a bloodhound.
Harrison had little patience for boards. Put simply, they were a pain, a waste of time and money. They didn’t increase shareholder value or improve the operating ratio (OR), the key metric for a railroad that’s constantly scrutinized by investors.
“You’ve got it all backwards. You should be spending 80 percent of your time coaching and teaching and 20 percent on all the other stu. If you spend your time developing people, you won’t have to be running everywhere.” When it came to people, Hunter Harrison was only interested in merit. He didn’t give anyone a pass, even family.
“If you could work on anything you wanted, what would you want to work on?”
January 17, 2020
Hunter Harrison is important because the majority of things you buy travel on one of the Railroads that he was recruited to reorganize, Illinois Central, Chessie, Canadian Pacific, CN.
His basic management idea was that running to timetable is more efficient , especial on single track railways than running when cargo presents itself. Like Herb Keller at South West, setting aside extra capacity for peak periods instead of just charging more, is a bad thing. It assumes a purely freight system. His style was as a old time preacher and one episode, positively quoted, was of demoting a staff member who asked the 'wrong' question; another of knocking down his childhood home to build a condo.
This book claims to be "unfiltered" and cannot make up its mind whether to be a hagiography praising Hunter beyond what he claims for himself, or a management manual. Ultimately, it fails to be either convincingly, which is sad.
It is difficult from this book to discern what Hunter Harrison said or did that had not already been done better by Fred Smith at Fedex or Richard Branson.
His basic management idea was that running to timetable is more efficient , especial on single track railways than running when cargo presents itself. Like Herb Keller at South West, setting aside extra capacity for peak periods instead of just charging more, is a bad thing. It assumes a purely freight system. His style was as a old time preacher and one episode, positively quoted, was of demoting a staff member who asked the 'wrong' question; another of knocking down his childhood home to build a condo.
This book claims to be "unfiltered" and cannot make up its mind whether to be a hagiography praising Hunter beyond what he claims for himself, or a management manual. Ultimately, it fails to be either convincingly, which is sad.
It is difficult from this book to discern what Hunter Harrison said or did that had not already been done better by Fred Smith at Fedex or Richard Branson.
October 18, 2023
One of the best biographies I have ever read. It not only covers an extremely interesting overlooked person but provides a good overview of the rail industry’s history and where it stands today.
This book is really 3 books in 1
1. The biography
The background of Hunter Harrison. This covers his youth from being friends with Elvis, his parental relationships, and his climb at the railroads. It explains his unique personality and experience that lead him to be who he was.
2. The proxy war
This details Pershing Squares proxy war for Canada Pacific. I loved Bill Ackman’s ‘War and Peace’ email and the how the story of winning over the board was covered.
3. Work / life balance
Hunter wasn’t happy in retirement, he truly loved his work, it was his calling. But he had grown older and the turnaround was the biggest yet. Did the added stress and work lead to his death? Probably, but he loved what he did so much he was turning up every day with an oxygen tank. It’s interesting to hear the story’s about him from his family and how his wife felt about him working till his death.
This book is really 3 books in 1
1. The biography
The background of Hunter Harrison. This covers his youth from being friends with Elvis, his parental relationships, and his climb at the railroads. It explains his unique personality and experience that lead him to be who he was.
2. The proxy war
This details Pershing Squares proxy war for Canada Pacific. I loved Bill Ackman’s ‘War and Peace’ email and the how the story of winning over the board was covered.
3. Work / life balance
Hunter wasn’t happy in retirement, he truly loved his work, it was his calling. But he had grown older and the turnaround was the biggest yet. Did the added stress and work lead to his death? Probably, but he loved what he did so much he was turning up every day with an oxygen tank. It’s interesting to hear the story’s about him from his family and how his wife felt about him working till his death.
January 7, 2021
The subject of the book, Harrison, is fascinating. From an entry level job in Memphis, he went on to become CEO of 4 railroads with an impact on an industry and on North America that will last for generations. I particularly enjoyed learning about his leadership style, which was abrasive, nurturing, cut-throat, and caring all at the same time.
The book, however, is slow. The author had great insight into his subject, but was very repetitive. If the book length was cut by a third, he still could have covered every aspect of Harrison.
So while I thought Harrison's story was enthralling, the author was not. 3 Stars.
The book, however, is slow. The author had great insight into his subject, but was very repetitive. If the book length was cut by a third, he still could have covered every aspect of Harrison.
So while I thought Harrison's story was enthralling, the author was not. 3 Stars.
August 18, 2023
I chose this book because I wanted to learn about "precision scheduled railroading", an efficiency improvement pioneered by Hunter Harrison. Unfortunately, the book doesn't provide any details on that, a surprising omission considering it was what made the subject famous.
However, I enjoyed the book anyway. The insider's account of how Harrison became CEO at CN, CP and CSX was full of drama and juicy details about the personalities involved. Harrison's life story was also interesting, especially the sad story of how his health rapidly declined while he stubbornly attempted his final corporate turnaround.
However, I enjoyed the book anyway. The insider's account of how Harrison became CEO at CN, CP and CSX was full of drama and juicy details about the personalities involved. Harrison's life story was also interesting, especially the sad story of how his health rapidly declined while he stubbornly attempted his final corporate turnaround.
August 24, 2019
A good read profiling one of the most CEOs in corporate America. Hunter Harrison has been heralded as the best railroader ever, who understood the business from ground-up, rising to the top and leading as CEO of 4 different North American railroads. This book provides a window of how he operated and provides both the good and bad of his day-to-day activities. It was also interesting to read about the boardroom battles endured during the activist investor moves into CP & CSX.
March 27, 2021
When I read a book about a great leader I expect to learn some tips on management and to get to know the thinking behind the CEO's decisions. There was virtually nothing of that here. All I've learned is: Hunter Harrison came to a railroad, improved its running costs by cutting unnecessary jobs and selling unnecessary property, then moved to the next railroad to do the exact same. While it's clear it wasn't about just that, the rest is barely explored.
February 13, 2023
A frank biography of a CEO who revolutionized a staid industry with the idea that as railroads consolidated and their leverage over customers increased, they could force customers into behavior that would permit them to optimize capacity utilization, which in turn would allow operating costs to be materially reduced—‘precision scheduled railroading’. This, combined with a relentless focus on shareholder value, made Harrison into the world class CEO he was.
June 28, 2019
Knowing nothing about Hunter Harrison going in I wasn't sure what to expect. If you are a fan of business, learning about how different industries operate, and stories of people who run them, you will like this book.
Portrayal of the subject felt fairly balanced. Praise for the good, acknowledgement for the bad/grey.
Portrayal of the subject felt fairly balanced. Praise for the good, acknowledgement for the bad/grey.
October 15, 2021
A winning formula in a staid industry.
Which industry is next? Banks, insurance or utilities are ripe for this type of dynamic change. Who’s the next Harrison is the question yet to be answered…
Which industry is next? Banks, insurance or utilities are ripe for this type of dynamic change. Who’s the next Harrison is the question yet to be answered…
January 10, 2023
Hadn't heard of Hunter Harrison before and wanted to learn more about railroading. Quite interesting personality and did learn something new. Would've wanted more insight into railroading but maybe there's just limited amount to it.
November 25, 2018
Very enjoyable book about one of the greatest railroad operators in history
January 13, 2019
Decent biography. Given that Harrison is legendary for his roles in railroad efficiency, there was not as much information on railroad operations as I would have liked
April 8, 2019
Good read
Very interesting read. I’ve spent my career in transportation but NER s railroader. Fascinating stories. Read if, there is something to learn here.
Very interesting read. I’ve spent my career in transportation but NER s railroader. Fascinating stories. Read if, there is something to learn here.
May 19, 2019
Great objective book about a controversial figure
April 14, 2020
A fun and humanizing look at everyone's favourite terrifying railroad millionaire, Hunter Harrison. An inspiring commitment to efficiency, and success coming from effort.
March 18, 2021
Hard to believe sometimes just how many important and influential people there are out there that you've never heard of.
October 30, 2022
Very insightful. I read this prior to joining CP as an employee. Lots of names I was already familiar with appear in Hunter's story.
January 3, 2024
Interesting insight into Hunter Harrison's life, career and views of the railway industry.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews