Board Chairman & CEO David S. Haffner

For four full decades—from the 1960’s through the 1990’s—Leggett & Platt achieved growth of 15% per year (on average) in earnings, dividends, and stock price, largely by pursuing a strategy that focused intently on revenue growth. Over those 40 years revenue ballooned from $7 million to $4.3 billion, earnings grew about 1000‐fold,and our stock split approximately every 5 years. But as we entered the new millennium, our strategy seemed to lose its effectiveness. For the five years ending December 2007, Leggett & Platt’s stock priced moved sideways while the S&P 500 index achieved an 80% return. The desire for topline growth had led us to make certain acquisitions for which it’s now clear we paid too much, given their failure to meet expected performance levels.

We needed to make a change in strategy.

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Each week in “A Linking Mess” our copywriting team offers their thoughts on links and articles around the internet that have caught their attention.

10 Things Bosses Never Tell Employess — But Should – LinkedIn Pulse

Paul Johnson, Sr. Copywriter: This is an appropriate article to discuss as I am Shela “Mad Dog” Ward’s boss. I’m not comfortable with the term “boss,” by the way, but there’s not much way around it. “Supervisor” sounds too informal and “kingpin” is probably too much. “Manager,” isn’t bad, though. I’m Mad Dog’s manager.

Shela Ward, Copywriter: I’m not sure how I feel about the word “manager.” It kind of makes me sound like an actor or something. “All appearances should be scheduled through Mad Dog’s manager.” Ok, I guess I don’t mind it.

Paul: This goofy article lists 10 things that bosses should never tell employees, but should. Right out of the gate, it became ripe for ridicule: number one is “I really do care whether you like me.” Maybe the author is more insecure than me, or maybe my situation of being kingpin over just one Mad Dog lends itself to a less formal (see professional) relationship, but I don’t worry whether or not Shela likes me or not. I know she does. Continue reading →

33 Things Everyone Should Stop Doing In Their 30s – Business Insider

Paul Johnson, Senior Copywriter: I’m looking down the barrel of my 45^th birthday, and I’m still guilty of about 10 of these sins. Does that say something about me, or this list? I’m sure I’m below average when it comes to meeting the standards of full-blown adulthood, particularly when measured against my age, but what’s wrong with “seeking approval from other people”? If you spend a great deal of effort to gain that approval, I guess that could be considered immature. What would be the definition of “seek” in this context?
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Our copywriters picked their favorite–or least favorite–articles of the week to share. Bonus: they weigh in with their own opinions through some back-and-forth conversation.

Ten Tips on Organizing Your Mind – The Wall Street Journal

Shela Ward, Copywriter: I thought I was a super-organized person, until I read this list. Maybe I’m just super-organized compared to the chaos of the rest of the Copy Team…? Either way, I like most of the suggestions presented in this article to keep your mind organized.

Paul M. Johnson, Senior Copywriter: I’m not very organized, and my cluttered desk – which is a running joke in Creative Services – is proof. I’ve taken stabs at addressing this at different times over the years, but it just doesn’t take. Would I be a better employee if I were more organized? I don’t think so. My conceit is that I’m a messy genius. OK, I’m done thinking about that. Continue reading →

We’re switching up the format for “A Linking Mess.” This week, Shela Ward and Paul Johnson (members of our Creative Services team) both weigh in on two articles that made the rounds in social media recently.

The A-Z of everything that’s wrong with B2B creative – Steve Ballantyne via slideshare.com

Shela: I write a lot of B2B copy on a daily basis, and I’m guilty of a lot of the “wrongs” mentioned in this article. Some of them are totally my bad – I have a soft spot for puns and I tend to struggle with “quick & dirty” brevity (my writing tends to get pretty verbose, from time to time, if you haven’t noticed – examples of my loquaciousness can be found in any of the guest blogs I’ve written here). Continue reading →

The world’s greatest invention.

No, it’s not the iPhone. This Economist piece reviews a book about paper, which is said to have been invented in China in 105 AD. A couple of the more important developments in paper’s evolution and production occurred when Chinese prisoners in the 8^th century taught Arabs the technique for making it, and the 1439 invention of movable-type printing in what is now Germany.

Happy find: A cheap, portable, printable invention – The Economist

Wave pompoms to get noticed.

Business Insider has provided a handy guide on how to ruin your career, in eight steps. What they don’t tell us is if you have to fulfill all eight “career-killing behaviors” to guarantee ruin. Seriously, though, a couple of them I don’t like. Number one is “Not promoting your own work” and number four is “Not being assertive.” I don’t like those two because I’ve always had trouble with the idea that good work and the best workers aren’t necessarily noticed based strictly on merit. Yes, I understand that managers aren’t perfect and might need a reminder of who is doing the best job, but it still seems to suggest that the most confident and emphatic among us will succeed based on cheerleading skills.

8 Work Habits That Can Ruin Your Careeer – Business Insider Continue reading →

Third Thursday is Joplin’s trademark cultural event when thousands of people fill Main Street Joplin to enjoy local art, music, entertainment, and food.

On June 19^th, Leggett & Platt sponsored the festivities and joined the fun. One of our very own 18-wheelers parked on the 500 block of Main Street and became a “mini museum” for visitors to walk through and learn more about our products, people, and culture. Our space also featured four mattresses as blank canvases — we encouraged visitors to let their creativity shine and paint them!

Third Thursday Gallery (1 of 2)

Third Thursday Gallery (2 of 2)

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You see it everywhere: car ads touting increased fuel economy, retailers featuring high-efficiency CFL light bulbs, and consumers carrying reusable grocery bags and coffee cups. The growing “green” movement encourages waste reduction to prevent over-burdening and polluting our natural resources.

As a manufacturer competing in the global marketplace, Leggett & Platt aggressively eliminates waste to reduce costs and provide more value to our customers. Our constant pursuit of efficiency naturally leads to more sustainable business practices. Our Geo Components business unit goes a step further by developing products engineered to protect the environment. Leggett has found that green businesses (and business practices) are good for business.

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