David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, was among the first executives to embrace the power of purpose.

Back in 1960, talking to HP’s training group, he said: “I want to discuss why a company exists in the first place,” he began.

“In other words, why are we here? I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists simply to make money. While this is an important result of a … continue reading

1: Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning has sold over ten million copies and been translated into twenty-four languages.

It’s not your typical best-seller, however.  

The topic? Viktor’s experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps.

“Wondering why some prisoners survived and others didn’t in an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair, he concluded that those who made it lived with a greater sense of purpose,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott … continue reading

1: Imagine taking our seat at a classical music concert. We arrive early, and the orchestra is warming up.  

“And it’s a very unpleasant noise because they’re all doing their own flourishes,” observes U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis in CEO Excellence by  Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra.

“Suddenly, they stop,” Richard describes. “And then out of stage right comes a human being holding nothing more … continue reading

1: When Mary Barra became CEO of General Motors in 2014, she immediately faced a crisis that would shape her leadership philosophy.

At least 124 people were dead because of a faulty ignition issue with General Motors’s cars. The company had been aware of the problem for more than a decade.  

Mary responded quickly. More than 29 million cars were ultimately recalled.

There was, however, a more significant learning for … continue reading

1: “The Tour de France is one of the world’s most grueling sporting events,” McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book  CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“Over three summer weeks,” they note, “about twenty teams with eight riders each push themselves to the limit, pedaling through two thousand miles of terrain including … continue reading

1: The best CEOs establish a mindset for their leadership teams.

“The top team is every member’s ‘first team,'” McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“The best CEOs are unequivocal on this issue,” Carolyn, Scott, and Vikram note. “This means that everyone is expected to put the … continue reading

1: Who is typically the highest-paid player on an NFL team? ask Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra  in their book CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

The quarterback. Because he executes almost every play on offense. The quarterback is responsible for putting points on the scoreboard.

Who is the second highest paid?

Most “people guess running backs or … continue reading

1: “Culture can be a hard topic to get one’s head around,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

Perhaps the best definition comes from Marvin Bower, McKinsey & Company‘s former managing director, who said culture is “the way we do things around here.” 

Which is why the world’s best … continue reading

1: The year was 2012.  DBS, a large Asian bank headquartered in Singapore, had a problem.  Card skimmers had hacked into their ATMs.  Money was being stolen. 

CEO Piyush Gupta moved quickly to identify how the breach had happened.  

“The problem was traced to a decision made by a junior operations colleague,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That … continue reading

1: It’s Saturday night.  We are at a chamber music recital, listening intently as the musicians play one of Mozart’s string quartets.  When they finish, we join other audience members clapping with genteel applause.

The following day, we attend an NFL football game.  On a last-second play, the quarterback finds an open receiver who scores a touchdown, and our team wins the game.  We leap to our feet, screaming and … continue reading