John Bogle, founder and former CEO of The Vanguard Group, used that simple sentence to debunk the thought that there is a secret formula to becoming an influential business leader. But with the simple premise that business leaders can benefit from observing other leaders and using their observations to nurture their own leadership style, the 2004 book, Lasting Leadership, studied what a group of jurors from the Nightly Business Report (NBR) and Knowledge@Wharton identified as the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years. Lasting Leadership wound up identifying eight attributes of leadership, each of which has its own chapter in the book, that are evident to varying degrees in these individuals.
1. They are able to build a strong corporate culture.
2. They are truth-tellers.
3. They are able to find and cater to under-served markets.
4. They can “see the invisible” – that is, spot potential winners or faint trends before their rivals or customers.
5. They are adept at using price to build competitive advantage.
6. They excel at managing and building their organization’s brand (which in some cases may be their own name).
7. They are fast learners.
8. They are skilled at managing risk.
In addition, the book includes essays describing a major challenge that each leader faced during his or her career, and detailed timelines of each leader’s life.
The authors of Lasting Leadership are Mukul Pandya, editor and director of Knowledge@Wharton, and Robbie Shell, managing editor of Knowledge@Wharton. Three others – Susan Warner, Sandeep Junnarkar and Jeff Brown – made significant contributions in reporting and editing.
