The top 25 managers II

　　To choose the year's 25 Top Managers, BUSINESS WEEK surveyed its staff of some 180 writers and editors in N ew York and 24 bureaus around the world. Then we culled that list for the truly outstanding leaders. Some, such as ExxonMobil Corp.'s (XOM) Lee R. Raymond, made the fi nal cut by simply—and dramatically—outperforming the co mpetition. Others, such as Ackerman, earned a spot by i mplementing a superior strategy or, as did Wayne R. San ders of Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB), by revving up sales in a slow-growth industry. With markets in such flux, s tock prices alone were no way to measure success in 200 0.

　　Tech executives occupied a preeminent place among l ast year's group. Those we've chosen in 2000 are no les s successful. But they are perhaps less exalted, certai nly some are less extravagant. Daniel Warmenhoven may b e the least-known billionaire in Silicon Valley. But hi s Network Appliance Inc. (NTAP) is posing a serious cha llenge to storage king EMC Corp. (EMC) Scott Kriens has pushed Juniper Networks (JNPR) to develop Internet rout ers that are faster and more compact than those of its mighty rival, Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO)

　　Many managers earned a place through sheer determin ation. J. Craig Venter beat the U.S. government in the race to decode the human genome. Noel Forgeard is pushi ng Airbus Industrie to develop the world's biggest jet. L. Dennis Kozlowski answered questions about dubious ac counting practices at Tyco International Ltd. (TYC) whi le continuing to build a conglomerate that is as effici ent as it is far-flung. Carlos Ghosn promised carmaker Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY) would be profitable by March o r he would resign. The company is expected to meet the target.

　　Finally, in a year in which many CEOs were unceremo niously ushered out the door, we included some who capp ed stellar careers with impeccable exit plans. Harvey G olub of American Express (AXP), Roger A. Enrico of Peps iCo (PEP), and Charles F. Knight of Emerson (EMR) have made indelible marks on their companies. They also knew when to hand over power. That's the sigh of a true lead er.

　　From Business Week