Category Archives: Profiles

Profile: Winston Churchill

By | February 10, 2014

[February 10, 2014]  Winston Churchill was clearly one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. The best biography on Churchill is by William Manchester in his 3-part series The Last Lion: Winston Spenser Churchill1.  In the many readingson Churchill, we see talents early on in his life.  Our interest here is his most outstanding traits that set… Read More »

Korean Air (Update)

By | February 8, 2014

[February 08, 2014]  Back on November 05, 2013, I wrote on this blog about how the senior leadership of Korean Air demonstrated their core values with exceptional customer service.  Their mission remains “excellence in flight” and I will confirm that their customer service remains top-of-the-line.  Their leadership insists on only the best for all their passengers.  Having just… Read More »

Profile: Tony Dungy

By | February 2, 2014

[February 02, 2014]  Super Bowl Sunday is here.  So, it is most appropriate that I feature one of the great football coaches in NFL history who displayed senior leadership on and off the football field.  On February 4, 2007, Dungy became the first African American coach to lead his team to a championship when his Colts defeated the… Read More »

Profile: Cyrus the Great

By | January 8, 2014

[January 08, 2014]  Cyrus the Great (also known as Cyrus II of Persia) lived 500 years before Christ, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, and is one of the greatest leaders in all of humankind’s history.  The fact that stories of his leadership exploits have survived this long is testament to the strength of his character and… Read More »

Core Values: The Salvation Army

By | December 21, 2013

[December 21, 2013]  With the holiday season upon us and the bell ringers outside many stores this Christmas season, the most visible as well as an historically successful organization is the Salvation Army.  Founded in 1865 in London by Catherine and William Booth, they sought to bring salvation to the poor, destitute, and hungry. Originally a religious effort,… Read More »

Profile: Kim Jong Un

By | December 14, 2013

[December 14, 2013]  Any attempt to profile the leadership characteristics of a leader from a different culture is fraught with uncertainty.  For the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a relatively young and new leader to the country, this is certainly true.  He is an enigmatic figure.  Leaders need to understand how senior leaders from different cultures function… Read More »

Core Values: USAA Insurance

By | December 5, 2013

[December 05, 2013]  Another organization that has been historically successful and displays its core values prominently, is the financial services company USAA (United Services Automobile Association).  In 1922, a group of U.S. Army officers decided to self-insure when they were unable to get auto insurance because they were considered high risk. USAA’s stated core values are: Service Loyalty… Read More »

Profile: The Reverend “Billy” Graham

By | November 29, 2013

[November 29, 2013]  Reverend William “Billy” Graham, Jr.  is a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949 reaching a large constituency across the U.S. and the Christian world.  He held large indoor and outdoor rallies; sermons were broadcast on radio and television, some still being re-broadcast today. He is a great communicator with a consistent… Read More »