Leadership Profiles

Leadership advice from Doris Kearns Goodwin

March 8, 2023
Many describe the nation’s current state of affairs as turbulent, to say the least. But is it worse than other times in history? Mike Aitken, chief membership officer for the Society of Human Resource Management, spoke to presidential biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on that topic during a recent meeting.

Leadership advice from Kevin Eikenberry

February 8, 2023
In this month’s profile, we talk to leadership expert and bestselling author Kevin Eikenberry about everything from leadership no-brainers to the biggest challenges and more.

Entrepreneur of the month: John Chen

October 14, 2022
This 31-year-old former hedge-fund analyst bought a Shopify store for $7,500 and is now the CEO of a company doing $2 million in sales annually.

How Ryan Reynolds became an advertising guy

September 14, 2022
Ryan Reynolds’ LinkedIn bio says, “Part Time Actor, Business Owner.” But the Hollywood star is not being coy. He is actually one of the most in-demand and influential creators in advertising.

What you can learn from these under-18 success stories

March 9, 2022
Does hearing about kid superstars in business make you more or less confident as a leader? Do you think, “If they can do it, so can I” or do you think, “The market just makes no sense to me”? These five success stories highlighted by Compare the Market should make your jaw drop either way.

How did Rick Steves become who he is?

June 9, 2021
On a recent episode of NPR’s How I Built This, Rick Steves reminisced on his path from being a piano importer’s son in Washington State to becoming the travel guru he is today.

It’s not the policies, it’s the people

February 10, 2021
In his final speech to his employees at Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, retiring chairman and CEO James D. Ericson spoke about the pride and enjoyment he felt in helping the company develop multiple, intertwined strengths in products, sales, and finance. Then he told the following story of how those strengths were put to service for a customer.

Lessons from Lewis and Clark

April 9, 2020
You can learn a lot about how to work with your fellow managers from one of the most famous leadership teams in American history, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Great minds, but troubled ones

June 13, 2019
Starting with medical records and extending back through family histories, Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, author of A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness, found that many of the greatest leaders lived with some form of mental illness.

Sarah T. Hughes, a woman of firsts

January 10, 2019
In 1930, Hughes became the youngest woman, at 34, elected to the Texas state legislature. In 1935, she became the first female state district judge.