Success Built to Last

Interviews

     We’re privileged to meet extraordinary people all over the world, but our work is not about the rarified life of the rich, famous or selflessly heroic, but instead the down-to-earth things that any of us can do as individuals and organizations to make success last. Feel free to download the front section of our book by clicking here. We’ve also provided a video sample of some of our interviews below, along with a biographical list of many of our interviewees. These folks were not selected to create an “honor roll” list that we’re offering to you as role models. We wanted to learn what people who have had 20+ years of impact on their fields had in common. One of the poignant lessons they provided was that you must choose your own personal definition of success, rather than assume you need to follow anyone else’s path! We look forward to hearing your stories, your research, and your suggestions about people we should meet. To pass along ideas, go to the What’s Your Story tab of this website.

Clara Adams-Ender—U.S. Army Brigadier General (ret.),
37 (page number in book)
Madeleine Albright—first female U.S. Secretary of State†
Maya Angelou—author, poet, and performer,
21, 44-45, 49-52
Ramani Ayer—CEO, Hartford Financial Services†
Alan Bachman—conflict resolution mediator and former florist†
David Barry—Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist,
97-98
Eric Benhamou—former CEO, 3Com Corporation and Palm, Inc.†
Warren Bennis—founding chairman, USC Leadership Institute,
234
Bonita Bergin—founder, Canine Companions and Assistance Dog Institute†
Jeff Bezos—founder and CEO, Amazon.com,
72
Ken Blanchard—author, One Minute Manager,
38
Ron Baron—founder, mutual fund company, Baron Capital†
Richard Blum—investor/developer; founder, American Himalaya Foundation†
Bono—social activist and lead singer, Irish rock band, U2,
63-65
Larry Bossidy—former CEO, Honeywell and Allied Signal,
36
Sir Richard Branson— Virgin Brands’ creator,
69-75, 148, 150, 156
Denise Brosseau—cofounder, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs†
John Seely Brown—former chief scientist, Xerox,
38
Marcus Buckingham—leadership author and former Gallup executive†
Warren Buffett—investor and world’s second richest person,
37
Jack Canfield—leadership advisor and author, Chicken Soup series,
135
Candice Carpenter—cofounder, iVillage,
197
Iva Carruthers—general secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference†
Jimmy Carter—39th U.S. president and Nobel Peace laureate,
7, 78-80, 171-172
John Chambers—chairman, president, and CEO, Cisco Systems,
149-150
Amber Chand—distributes art created by indigenous craftswomen,
139-140
Morris Chang—founder, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company†
Karen Chang—board advisor and former financial services industry executive†
Elaine Lan Chao—U.S. Secretary of Labor and first Asian woman appointed to the president’s cabinet†
Milton Chen—executive director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, 131
Deepak Chopra—physician and author†
Yvon Chouinard—environmentalist, climber, and founder, Patagonia,
96-97
Sandy Climan—president, Entertainment Media Ventures†
Bill Clinton— 42nd U.S. president,
80
Marva Collins—schoolteacher invited by two presidents to become Secretary of Education,
3, 122-125
Jay Conger—Henry Kravis Research Leadership Studies Chair at Claremont†
Steve Covey—author, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
181-182
Douglas Daft— first non-American CEO, Coca Cola (ret.) †
Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)—His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama,
81-82, 207-208
Richard Dauch—cofounder, chairman, and CEO, American Axle†
Michael Dell—founder and chairman, Dell Computer,
175-177, 180
Paul Deninger—chairman, global investment bank, Jeffries Broadview†
Michael Dertouzos—former director, MIT Lab for Computer Science,
190
Tina de Souza—psychologist and Afro-Brazilian healer,
93
Robert Diutz—CPA and IRS enrolled agent†
Robert Dole—former U.S. senate majority leader and presidential candidate†
Donna Dubinsky—former CEO, Handspring; vice-chairman, Kleiner Perkins†
Brian Duperreault—chairman, insurance company, ACE Limited†
Peter Drucker— father of management science,
11, 28, 240
Wayne Dyer—psychologist and author†
Esther Dyson—author, entrepreneur, and technologist,
41-42, 136-137
Shirin Ebadi—first Muslim woman to win Nobel Peace Prize†
Larry Ellison—CEO, Oracle Corp†
Keith Ferrazzi—marketing strategist and author, Never Eat Alone,
53, 93
Sally Field—Oscar-winning film and TV actor and director,
98-99
Syd Field—screenwriting guru, University of Southern California†
Firehawk—teacher, healer, and artist who works with digital media†
Steve Forbes—editor-in-chief, Forbes Magazine,
174
Greg Foster—president, IMAX Films,
198
Gloria Fox—Massachusetts state representative,
189
Yuki Funo—chairman and CEO, Toyota Motor North America†
Bob Galvin—former chairman and CEO, Motorola†
Bill Gates—cofounder, Microsoft; philanthropist; and world’s richest man,
65
Bill George—former CEO, Medtronic; author, Authentic Leadership,
191
Newt Gingrich—former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives†
Rudy Giuliani—former mayor, New York City,
45
Colin Goddard—CEO, OSI Pharmaceuticals†
Marshall Goldsmith—executive coach and author†
Charles Goodwin—FBI special agent in charge, Hawaii†
John Gray—author, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus†
Andy Grove—former chairman and CEO, Intel Corp,
183-184
John Hagel—technology management strategist and author†
Jim Hake—entrepreneur and founder, Spirit of America†
Frances Hesselbein—chairman, Leader to Leader Institute,
39
Vernon Hill—founder and CEO, Commerce Bancorp,
194
Dixie Horning—UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health†
Norma Hotaling— founder, Sage, which helps women escape addiction and prostitution,
105-108
Jen-Hsun Huang—founder, a video chip maker, NVIDIA,
112-113
Jeff Immelt—chairman and CEO, General Electric†
Kinder Hunt—founder, Hollywood Education and Literacy Project (H.E.L.P)†
Roberta Jamieson—CEO, National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation,
109-110
Jerry Jasinowski—former president, The Manufacturing Institute†
Jason Jennings—author and marketing leadership advisor†
Peter Jennings—former anchor, ABC Television’s World News Tonight†
Tammy Jernigan—former astronaut and scientist, Lawrence Livermore Lab†
Jack Jia—founder, Baynote; former CIO, Interwoven,
25
Steve Jobs—cofounder and CEO, Apple; CEO, Pixar,
24, 102-104, 173
Deborah Johnson—reverend and founder, Inner Light Ministries,
158
Quincy Jones—Grammy Award-winning producer,
135
Jerry Jurgensen—CEO, major financial services firm, Nationwide†
Irene Khan—first female (first Asian and Muslim) to lead Amnesty International†
Bruce Katz—founded Rockport Shoe Company and The WELL†
Donna Katzin—founded nonprofit that arranges credit for the poor in South Africa†
Guy Kawasaki—technology entrepreneur and Apple MacIntosh innovator†
Herb Kelleher—cofounder, Southwest Airlines,
46, 113-114
Robert Kiyosaki—author, Rich Dad, Poor Dad,
38
Gerard Kleisterlee—CEO, Royal Philips Electronics,
24
Phil Knight—founder, Nike†
Jeffrey Koplan—former director, Center for Disease Control†
Jim Kouzes—coauthor, The Leadership Challenge,
40
Richard Kovacevich—chairman and CEO, Wells Fargo & Company,
57-58
Sallie Krawcheck—CFO, world’s largest bank, Citigroup; former CEO, brokerage firm, Smith Barney†
Eleanor Josaitis—cofounder, a human rights and training organization, Focus: HOPE,
201-202
Jack La Lanne— “Godfather of Fitness,”
131-133
Robert Lane—CEO, John Deere & Company,
180
Shelly Lazarus—CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide,
87-88
Norman Lear—award-winning TV producer,
215
Keith Leslie—Himalayan field office director, Nepal, for Save the Children†
Carl Lewis—record-breaking Olympic gold medal athlete†
Ed Liddy—chairman and CEO, Allstate Corporation†
Joe Lieberman—U.S. senator from Connecticut†
Klaus Luft—founder, services firm, MATCH, Germany†
Susanne Lyons—chief marketing officer, Visa USA†
Yo-Yo Ma—Grammy Award-winning cellist and UN Peace Ambassador,
9
Nelson Mandela—former South African president and Nobel Peace laureate,
1-2
James March—professor, Sociology (Emeritus) at Stanford,
141
Costas Markides—chairman, Strategy Department, London Business School†
Toru Matsui—neurosurgeon, Saitama Medical Center School (Japan)†
John McCain—U.S. senator, Arizona,
203, 206-207
Mike McGavick—former CEO, Safeco Insurance,
188
Russell Means—actor and first director, American Indian Movement†
Charles Miller—chairman and CEO of Avery Dennison (ret.)†
Sharon Miller—runs social ministry, St. Joseph Cathedral Foundation†
Philip Monego—entrepreneur and first CEO, Yahoo!†
Gordon Moore—Moore’s Law and cofounder, Intel Corporation,
54, 183
John Morgridge—chairman, Cisco Systems, Inc†
Alan Mulally—CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes†
Cliff Nass—expert on interaction between people and digital media†
Craig and Patricia Neal—founders, Heartland Circle†
Davia Nelson—Peabody Award-winning producer, NPR series†
Marilyn Carlson Nelson—CEO, one of the world’s largest privately held firms†
Joe Nichols, Jr.—entrepreneur with a network of mail shops,
159-162
Bill Nye—engineer, comedian, and Emmy Award-winning producer,
59-60
William O’Neil—founder, Investor’s Business Daily†
Lars Nyberg—deputy governor, Riksbank; former professor; and former CEO, NCR†
Peng Ong—founder, Interwoven and Ecentuate,
26
Dean Ornish—founder, Preventive Medicine Research Institute†
Paul Otellini—president and CEO, Intel†
C.N. Paramasivan—founder, India-based organization promoting global volunteerism†
Fabrizio Parini—CEO, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company†
Penny Patterson—founder, The Gorilla Foundation,
110-111
Terry Pearce—author, coach, and president, Leadership Communication,
210
Ed Penhoet—president, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation,
17-18, 20, 121-122
Kim Polese—entrepreneur and coiner of software term “Java”†
David Pottruck—CEO, EOS Airlines†
Azim Premji—chairman, Wipro Technologies,
23
David Pyott—CEO, Allergan; producer, Botox and other products†
Martha Reitman—physician who manages drug development,
129
Rob Reiner—director, producer, actor, and education activist,
99
Rachel Naomi Remen—medical director, Commonweal Cancer Help Program,
65-68
Jane Bryant Quinn—financial columnist and author,
28-30
Hector de J. Ruiz—chairman and CEO, Advanced Micro Devices,
30-31
Condoleezza Rice—U.S. Secretary of State,
117-120
Patricia Russo—chairman and CEO, Lucent Technologies,
142-143
Paul Saffo—strategist and director, Institute for the Future†
Paul Sagan—CEO, Akamai; Emmy award winner†
Mark Saito—Kahuna Hawaiian healer†
Arthur Sands—physician; CEO, a biotech company, Lexicon †
Eric Schmidt—chairman and CEO, Google,
61
Charles Schwab—chairman, founder, and CEO, Charles Schwab,
145-150
Klaus Schwab—founder and executive chairman, World Economic Forum, xvii
Bruce Seaton—former CEO, American President Cos, Ltd†
Robin Segal—founder, United in Harmony, serving homeless children†
William Sharpe—Nobel prize-winning economist†
Fred Shoemaker, author and golf coach,
214-215
Wick Simmons—chairman, International Tennis Hall of Fame; former CEO, Nasdaq†
Rabbi Israel Singer—World Jewish Congress,
172-173
Sheila Sisulu—World Food Programme and former South African ambassador to U.S†
Rick Smolan—photographer and author, America 24/7 and Day in the Life series†
Sir Martin Sorrell—founder and CEO, ad agency group, WPP†
George Soros—financier and philanthropist†
Warren Staley—CEO, America’s largest private company, Cargill,
187-188, 192-193
Steven Stargardter—president, JFK University†
Br. David Steindl-Rast—Benedictine monk†
Gloria Steinem—feminist author and founder, Ms. Magazine†
David Stern—commissioner, National Basketball Association,
92
Bill Strickland—CEO, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild,
55-56, 211
Nadine Strossen—president, ACLU,
115-117
Srinivas Sukumar—president, CoDharma Solutions; former HP executive†
John Thain—CEO, New York Stock Exchange†
Ken Thompson—CEO, Wachovia Corporation†
Tommy Thompson—former U.S. health secretary; governor, Wisconsin†
Desmond Tutu—Nobel Peace laureate and former Bishop of Lesotho,
130
Desmond Twigg-Smith—farmer, Holualoa Coffee Company†
Lynne Twist—author and philanthropist†
Laura D’Andrea Tyson—business school dean and presidential advisor†
Vaira Vike-Freiberga—president, Latvia,
22
Govindappa Venkataswamy—eye surgeon saving millions from blindness,
152-153
Alex von Bidder—co-owner, New York’s The Four Seasons restaurant,
196-197
Barbara Walters—first female network news anchor on U.S. television†
Alice Waters—Chez Panisse executive chef who popularized cooking organic foods,
25
Barbara Waugh—HP Labs Worldwide personnel manager and cofounder, World eInclusion,
43
Jack Welch—author and former CEO, GE,
21, 182-183
Meg Wheatley—cofounder, Berkana Institute†
Wanda Whitehead—grade-school teacher, Casa di Mir†
Ann Winblad—technologist and founder, Hummer/Winblad venture capital,
41
Ray Yeh—author, The Art of Business; senior fellow, IC2 Institute†
Steve Young—former Forty-Niners quarterback and entrepreneur,
212
Muhammad Yunus—founder, Grameen Bank (micro loans for the poor),
62-63
Benjamin Zander—conductor, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra,
195-196, 199
Dieter Zetsche—chairman, Daimler/Chrysler,
137

†   Our interview with this individual is included in our study and influenced this manuscript, but we didn’t have room to fit everyone’s insightful stories. We list the interviewees here as an example of the eclectic collection of successful people we were grateful to meet.