http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2012/07/24/top-10-list-the-greatest-living-business-leaders-today/
With the passing of my dear friend
Stephen R. Covey,
I have been taking some time to consider many of the greatest business
leaders who are wielding strong influence on the business world we live
in today.
I’d like to present my personal top 10 list of the people I consider
most influential in terms of innovative thinking, focus on customers,
and their desire to serve the less-fortunate, which is a strong and
continual interest of mine.
Richard Branson has one of the world's most widely recognized personal brands
Without further ado and in no particular order, I present to you my personal Top 10:
1.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon–
Jeff Bezos
is a pioneer in world of internet commerce, and was instrumental in
defining this space that is now defining many aspects of the internet
world. It is Jeff Bezos who innovated the concept of “predictive
analytics”–recommending products to customers based on search history
and buying habits. Whether you like the concept or you hate it, the idea
has made online commerce more profit rich and efficient, and is making
online shopping a better experience for consumers throughout the world.
2.
Anne Mulcahy, Xerox
– Anne turned things around when her company faced a financial crisis.
Yes, I can directly relate. You can read about some of my adventures at
Fishbowl
here. Anne never aspired to the role of CEO, but neither did she shy away from the opportunity to lead when elected by the board of
Xerox
in 2001. During her tenure she was required to reduce the company’s
workforce by 30% and later eliminated the entire desktop portion of
Xerox. For her courageous execution in the face of adversity
Chief Executive Magazine named her CEO of the Year in 2008 and
U.S. News & World Report named her one of America’s Best
Leaders.
Forbes acknowledged Anne as one of the world’s most influential women in 2005 and 2009.
3.
Brad Smith, Intuit –
Intuit is one of the world’s largest and most successful financial
software companies. It is the maker of the QuickBooks accounting
software we have integrated with our
Fishbowl Inventory software. Even as a company of nearly $4B in revenue with a market cap of approximately $16.5B,
Intuit
continues to operate like a collection of startups. Brad has fostered a
culture where nearly 8,000 employees are allowed to take risks and to
grow by learning from success and failure.
4.
Howard Schultz,
Starbucks – From his upbringing in a poor family in the Bronx to an athletic scholarship and eventually the head of
Starbucks,
Howard Schultz is a consummate example of courage, hard work, and the
ability to achieve the American dream. Even in the glow of his own
successes, Howard is also interested in investing in others’ success and
continues to invest actively in other business ventures, such as eBay.
5.
Larry Page,
Google –
Larry Page is another example of a businessperson who can persevere any
challenge. Larry and his company have faced much criticism and received
ample praise over the years for his company’s actions. But in the midst
of the storm, he has never let what others think sway him from pursuing
the course for his company that he considers the best.
6.
Tim Cook,
Apple
– Steve Jobs is a hard act to follow, but thus far, Tim Cook is doing a
tremendous job. Rather than attempt to match the consumer-facing
innovations Steve Jobs had been known for, Tim Cook is forging into the
future with his own new advances, such as Apple’s newest
innovative inventory management techniques.
7.
Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo – Indra Nooyi, another of
Forbes 100
Most Powerful Women, has not only led her company to record financial
results but is making strides to move PepsiCo in a healthier direction,
leading the courageous charge to shed traditional fast food properties
and to replace them with initiatives to supply healthier foods. She is
deeply caring and committed as a senior executive. She is a fun-loving
executive as well—she played lead guitar for an all-woman rock band in
college, loved to play cricket, and is known to sing karaoke and perform
at corporate gatherings to this day. Yes, I have been known to relate
to her fun-loving spirit as a senior executive as well.
8.
Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway
– He is a deeply conservative trader during the times that everyone
around him is moving from one extreme to the other to the tune of huge
losses and gains. Warren Buffett is a perfect example of patience,
proving that slow and steady generally wins the business race. (Although
I continue to press my own desire to spur Fishbowl’s inventory software
business to race!)
9.
Sir Richard Branson,
Virgin Group
– Anyone who owns more than 400 companies and is worth billions of
dollars is clearly doing many things right. I admire Richard Branson’s
tenacity, and I admire his personal brand—so much so, that when my
paired leadership partner,
Mary Michelle Scott,
and I recently traveled to Australia with several of our team in our
launch of Fishbowl Australia, we made the effort and kept the commitment
to fly with Virgin Airlines every step of the way.
10.
Rupert Murdoch,
News Corporation
– Rupert Murdoch is a self-made and hard driven Australia-born head of
an American publishing dynasty, as the founder, chairman and CEO of News
Corporation. He continues to work unbelievably hard at an age when most
would have retired long ago. In the midst of accusation and scandal
he’s needed to find new strength to face the accusation of bribery,
corruption and hacking by subsidiary firms. This news is still breaking,
as Rupert resigns from the boards of several of the subsidiary
companies involved. Regardless of the outcome, the work ethic and sheer
tenacity Rupert Murdoch has shown in the face of adversity continues to
serve as an example to all.
Collectively, these 10 individuals are my own “living legends” who
exemplify leadership strength. Who are your examples, and why? I look
forward to hearing your additions and your feedback on this illustrious
list.
