My wife once asked me what CEO I’d most like to be like.
Gates. Rockefeller. Jobs. Carnegie. Buffett. Zuckerberg. Welch. Musk. Ford. Bezos.
They all came to mind. They always come to mind. We’ve been blasted with listicles and clickbait promising lessons from icons of industry, trumpeting qualities like ambition, vision, courage and influence. All important to have in a leader. No question. But, not the only thing.
With no irony or apology, I told my wife the CEO I’d want to be like: Nigel Fezziwig.
Ol’ Fezziwig from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” A London merchant. Employer of people. But hardly a titan of industry. In some versions of the story, he even goes out of business, and has to sell to Scrooge and Marley. But his impact on the people, that’s what’s always struck me. I’ve always admired how he made people feel about themselves.
In the story, we meet a jolly, uproarious man. Ostensibly successful — enough so to throw a raucous holiday ball for all of his employees.…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
