by Manuel S. Calero
Principal
Vanguard
Headquartered: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Web Site: www.vanguard.com
Primary Business: Investment Management
Employees: 12,500
Who in your family has had the most impact on your success? My mother has given her entire life to her family and helping others. Every lesson she taught me was rooted in unconditional love and service, and instilled in me the passion to face every single day with an unwavering sense of duty and with infinite love for God and life. She is my hero in every sense of the word, and I owe my success to her.
What’s the worst fault a leader can have? Good leaders are talented, passionate, and driven. The worst fault of a leader is to be led astray by mistaking traction for purpose, by substituting the why with the how. It turns leadership into a hollow activity full of small victories, and leaders into good people blind to the broader mission.
What are the personal and professional risks a leader should take? The question shouldn’t be what risk to take but how to prepare yourself to successfully take risks. Surround yourself with a loving family and good friends, great teachers and mentors, be clear about who you are and what’s right and wrong, and you will ensure a good outcome every time you face risk.
Education: BAS, Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania
What I’m Reading: Leadership and the Sexes, by Michael Gurian and Barbara Annis; To Gettysburg and Beyond, by Michael Golay
My Philosophy: Rise every morning with a smile and go out with the simple purpose of serving everyone around you.
Interests: Spending time with my wife and kids. Reading about history and theology. Watching college football.
