Horst Kremer was the CEO of retail banking in a two horse race for Group CEO-ship of a major bank. At several junctures of the 12-month race he had the opportunity to play to his advantage (e.g., withholding product economics and deep operating data from his rival). His sense of fair play led him to instruct his senior staff to openly share this sensitive information with the other candidate. His humility (and humble familial background from Hamburg, Germany) was mistaken by the Board to be diffidence. Sadly, he lost the race. However, his courage and magnanimity in accepting defeat impressed the Board, so much so that within a year, the Board regretted their decision. The new group CEO was floundering, whereas Horst was persistent and unstinting in sharing his domain knowledge with the new leadership with no rancor whatsoever. By the time the Board put out the feelers to see if Horst would come back and replace the teetering group CEO, Horst had gone on to become an influential trustee and trusted advisor for a top Asian billionaire with an impressive global footprint. Truth and light ultimately shone forth from the constancy of Horst’s being.
Note: This story is from chapter 10, page 157, of Positive Influence: First and Last Mile of Leadership by Tsun-yan Hsieh and Huijin Kong.
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