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Student & Alumni Profiles
John Whitehead, MBA '47 Chairman, Goldman Sachs Foundation, Founder, John C. Whitehead Fund for Not-for-Profit Management
Quiet Leaders
I believe ethical considerations always come first—men or women of high integrity who put their organization's success before their own selfish interests. When we say the word "leader," we tend to think in terms of Teddy Roosevelt riding his horse up San Juan Hill or Douglas MacArthur in World War II—aggressive, positive, forceful leaders. But I believe some of the great leaders in the world are quiet, thoughtful people who have led by their modesty. I think of General Eisenhower and General George Marshall, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. These are all individuals who have had a more lasting effect on the world.
Launching the Social Enterprise Initiative at HBS
I'm always looking for opportunities to expand the nonprofit sector of economy, to have nonprofits take over functions that are now performed by the government. In the early 1990s I approached John MacArthur, who was then Dean of HBS, and proposed to him that the School should be training people not just for jobs in the for-profit world—that they also had a lot to contribute to finding a better-trained president for the Red Cross or the Boy Scouts of America or any of the well-known nonprofits. He agreed that it was a good idea and the Social Enterprise Initiative has become quite successful over the years. There have been a growing number of students enrolled in Social Enterprise courses, taking internships in the sector, creating business plans, and pursuing careers after graduation. I think the Social Enterprise Initiative has had a very positive effect in broadening the School's mission and its success.
