The Role Models
“I admire Gary C. Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, because he has made Southwest a successful company while paying special attention to the needs of both passengers and employees. I have several friends who have interned or worked for Southwest and they have commented on how it is a great place to work, and one even told me about their annual Halloween skit contest for which Kelly dresses up and competes. The business fraternity that I am in hosted Jeff Lamb as a guest speaker. He is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Services of Southwest Airlines or, as he referred to it, “The Chief People Officer,” and he seemed genuinely excited about the company and its initiatives. I think that testimonies of employees along with my personal experiences as a customer about the company as a whole speak to the successful leadership that Kelly has provided.” – Sabrina Janski, Southern Methodist University (Cox)
“Jamie Dimon, J.P. Morgan CEO. Jamie leads one of the biggest banks in the world knowing that profits is not the sole goal of an institution with so much influence.” – Jose de la Puente, Boston College (Carroll)
“I admire Paul O’Neil (Former CEO of Alcoa and Secretary of the Treasury of the United States) because of his leadership in establishing safety as a corporate responsibility and because of his definition of success: his family.” – Tanner Stutz, Brigham Young University (Marriott)
“My favorite CEO is probably David Novak at Yum! He is a local legend in my town. I’ve always been impressed by his focus on a strong company culture.” – Ben Cunningham, University of Virginia (Mcintire)
“There is a senior Managing Director at one of the banks that I interned for that I really admire. He is the most straightforward individual that I have ever encountered. I really respect people that speak their minds, and he definitely did so regarding challenges, successes, and everything in between.” – Brandon Walker, Emory University (Goizueta)
The Nurturers
“Angela Ahrendts, the Senior Vice President for retail and online sectors at Apple. While engineering a turnaround at Burberry, where she served as CEO for eight years, Ahrendts gained renown for her ability to motivate and energize all levels of employees on her team. Gaining buy-in from those underneath you is incredibly challenging, especially when you have drastically different day-to-day agendas. Her decision to jump into tech retail straight from fashion also speaks to me of boldness, self-assurance, and a desire for a challenge. Just as impressively, she’s relatively young for her track record at just fifty-five years old.” – Elana Burton, Georgia Tech University (Scheller)
“Early in my college career, I had the opportunity to work with Ross Baird, CEO of Village Capital. I am impressed by his innovative model for supporting entrepreneurs.” – Faith Lyons, University of Virginia (Mcintire)
“Venture capitalist Don Valentine is an executive whom I really admire. Everything I’ve ever read or heard about him touches on the notion that listening is paramount. In concentrating on the power and importance of listening, I have learned more about myself and my endeavors than I possibly could without that focus. Of course, there are times to speak up, too!” – Blake Chasen, Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)
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