Results count: through team-building and intelligient risk-taking, CEO Adriane Brown drives the $4.5 billion Honeywell Transportation Systems to global dominance.

EARLY IN HER CAREER, ADRIANE M. Brown learned a valuable lesson: results always matter. Fresh out of college, the 22-year-old was about to face her first management challenge: shift supervisor for a 50-employee Raleigh, North Carolina, plant that was part of Coming Inc.'s Electronic Division. "I took off my class ring because I knew the first thing I would get asked was [my age]. And I did. I responded, 'Where I grew up it's impolite to ask a lady her age.'"

Young and inexperienced, the Richmond, Virginia, native was savvy enough to figure out that a galvanized workforce was critical for success. "I realized I'd be better off asking, not telling" says Brown, who also worked as quality control sectional supervisor during her four-year tenure. "From that first job I have always tried to treat people like I want to be treated." Her style--a mixture of results-based collegiality and intelligent risk-taking--enabled her to connect with her crew and increase the plant's efficiency and output. When she left the plant to take another position at Coming, the union employees threw her a big party--a rare send-off for a salaried manager.

With 26 years of corporate experience, Brown's philosophies have driven her to the top. Today, the 48-year-old dynamo serves as president and CEO of Honeywell International Inc.'s Transportation Systems, the auto products division that manufactures turbochargers, oil filters, antifreeze, and more. In her first year in the position, the unit grossed a whopping $4.5 billion in revenues and produced $557 million in operating profits.

After holding a number of high-powered positions at Corning over 19 years, Brown joined Honeywell in 1999, where she developed an impressive track record. As vice president and general manager of Honeywell Aerospace's Aircraft Landing Systems in South Bend, Indiana, she oversaw all operations and commercial activity for a $400 million unit and managed more than 1,200 employees. Just one week after 9-11, she was tapped as vice president and general manager of Engine Systems & Accessories, another Honeywell aerospace division that generated $1.3 billion in revenues. At a time when the airline industry--the unit's primary customer base--was devastated by the terrorist attacks, Brown maintained profitability by reducing costs, boosting productivity, and rallying its 2,500 employees.

EMBRACING NEW CHALLENGES

Thriving in Honeywell's performance-based culture, Brown is always up for a challenge, facing them as a woman, an African American, and an industry outsider. She asserts: "All leaders are forced to prove themselves in whatever new role they take. Being an outsider to Honeywell and the aerospace business made earning that credibility more difficult--and at the same time, more important."

To win support from the rank and file, Brown held a series of town hall meetings related to people and procedures. "I was honest with them about what I didn't know about the industry. But I told them what I did know, [such as] how important it is to make things that are great so that your customers choose you again and again. I shared my philosophy of how we should continually stretch ourselves to make ourselves better in a very competitive world," she explains.

Her style has even turned a number of business management gurus into fans. Maintains Ram Charan, author of Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform From Those Who Don't (Crown Business; $27.50) and an adviser to many leading CEOs: "Adriane is a high-energy leader. I've observed her in action for more than a decade. She develops bold goals that are grounded, that have stretch in them. Accomplishing those goals increases the capability of people working with her, which in turn multiplies her capability. She's a people person. For her, it's people before strategy. She excels in developing her people."

In each Honeywell division she has managed, Brown's practices have lit the spark for her team to develop innovative breakthroughs and find ways to significantly increase customer satisfaction. They have also kept her on the road, visiting the unit's 40 factories around the globe. At a factory stop in Ohio, a woman asked her what it was like to be a female executive in a male-dominated business. "I stick out in the crowd, but to be honest, I don't care what they think," responded Brown. "It's the best thing for us when they underestimate me and what we're trying to accomplish."

Often, differences add value to an organization. "Because of Adriane's experience in the aerospace industry, she brings a new perspective to the automotive arena," says Khonda Germany, a corporate vice president at Honeywell. "She's taking the concept of reliability, which is absolutely critical in aerospace, and bringing that same focus to the automotive space. Reliability is valued by our auto customers, and Adriane is driving our reliability culture in Transportation Systems to a new level."

BOLD PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Brown has audacious plans for the world's leading automotive supplier, which produces everything from Garrett turbochargers and thermal systems through Turbo Technologies to Autolite spark plugs and Prestone antifreeze through its Consumer Products Group. "My mission is to increase the number of turbo diesel vehicles here in the U.S.," she says. "Turbo diesels are up to 40% more fuel efficient than regular gasoline vehicles, which is why they account for more than 50% of all cars in Europe." It is widely acknowledged by financial analysts that the turbo business is propelled by three major trends: fuel economy, reduced emissions, and driving performance. In fact, an independent market report by Global Insight shows boosted engines growing globally from 26% of the automotive market to 33%-more than three times the growth rate of the overall auto market. Brown anticipates "global dieselization" will drive revenue and market share growth, especially as more diesel engines come to the U.S. and Asia. Moreover, the Consumer Products Group is also poised to support emissions reducing technologies through new filtration capabilities.

Brown is not likely to stray from her vision. "She is passionate and focused. She is using that focus to pursue a turbo on every vehicle and is leveraging her environmental background to drive U.S. dieselization. She's pushing relentlessly for its adoption to help the U.S. become less dependent on foreign oil imports," says Germany.

In fact, Transportation Systems has emerged as a global player in recent years. "Tapping into less mature markets outside our borders provides new opportunities for growth in all of Honeywell's businesses," Brown says, "and Transportation Systems is at the forefront of that trend, with more than 64% of our revenue outside the U.S."

Earlier this year, Brown announced the reorganization of Turbo Technologies from a regional operation into a global business managed by segment--passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. As the world's leading turbo producer, such a structural change seemed a risky proposition. Before taking action, Brown had her team analyze customers' needs and their own capabilities. "The new model positions us for growth long-term while improving how we serve our customers today," she says. "The change also redefined our Engineering Center for Excellence and allowed our technology experts to fully focus on driving technology differentiation and innovation for the years ahead, while enhancing our product reliability."

Brown's strategy seems to be paying off. Her unit has helped Honeywell wallop the competition. The company's third quarter revenue growth (year over year) was 15.20%, compared to 13% for Eaton Corp. and 12% for General Electric.

ADVICE TO THE NEXT GENERATION

Brown, who earned her bachelor's degree in environmental health from Old Dominion University and a master's degree in management as a Sloan Fellow from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has made tremendous strides in corporate America. Her managerial dexterity earned her a spot on Automotive News" list of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry.

Despite her hectic schedule and long days, the married mother of one mentors executives in America and abroad and serves on the board of Jobs for America's Graduates, a dropout prevention and postsecondary transition program for at-risk youth.

One of her greatest joys is sharing her success strategies. She offers this advice for African American women who plan to make a similar ascent in business: "Dehver results. Let your work speak for you the loudest. Build a network by finding successful people with high standards you admire and strive to make those attributes your own. And finally, never stop learning."