Kenneth Chenault

At the end the day because I believe so strongly in leadership, what I look for first, what I try to assess, is integrity.

What's increasingly clear is that when you are open to a discussion of leadership, and you're relating it to your company, it is much easier to get people to become open.

I was attracted to law school because I believed it would help me prepare for a career in the real world.

My message to Washington is very simple. Face reality. Be leaders. Demonstrate accountability. Engage in principle compromise. And understand your job is to find solutions.

I had very little exposure to business growing up. I also was very focused on the Civil Rights Movement. And I saw law as a vehicle to really bring about substantial change.

My plans were to practice law and then possibly go into public service.

My message to Washington is the United States has gone through incredible crises, and our leaders have been able to find common ground. And that's what our leaders have to do.

I've always been a very competitive person.

You've got to develop relationships. You can't do things just in a formal context.

For me, one of the lessons from 9/11 is that you have to give the organization context for how you're acting, and you've got to communicate constantly, in this case particularly with all the changes that were occurring in the financial marketplace and in the economy.

There was a strong focus on performance and respect for people. And one of the points that my father always made was that with all the challenges and obstacles and barriers, the one thing you can control is your performance. And that is one thing I have tried to adhere to throughout my career.

I moved back to Boston and joined some of my Harvard classmates at Bain & Co. I quickly realized I enjoyed business.