Phebe Novakovic
The Operator
Execution, delivery and performance, gets the hard thing done.
Phebe Novakovic reads as The Operator because her transformation of General Dynamics has been an exercise in relentless discipline. Since taking the helm in 2013 she has divested underperforming units, tightened margins, and focused the portfolio with a decisiveness that dramatically improved shareholder returns. A background in the CIA and the Pentagon instilled a results-first mentality she applied without dilution to defence manufacturing, making execution itself her signature.
“If the US cannot avoid war through diplomacy or deterrence, it goes to war with the US defense industrial base. We cannot go to war as a nation without us. We make all the products and services that provide our service people with the weapons, systems and protective devices they need to survive and win.”
“We try to get inside their decision space, help them think about what we can provide. So I spent some time with all of them — our major customers, primarily the Army and the Navy.”
“A good leader needs fundamentally good character. A capability set in intellect, finance, ability to think strategically or solve complex problems — and frankly, perseverance. Sometimes you just have to never stop, never quit, never give up.”
The David Rubenstein Show: “Phebe Novakovic”
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