January, February, March 2019 Volume 42 Number 1

WOMEN LEADERS WESTERN & SOUTHERN’S BARRETT 56

HELPING BUSINESSES STAY IN BUSINESS 60

A CENTENARY STORY OF GRIER 10 CASE 14 C.V. STARR & CO. 64

HOSPITALITY 72

THE MARK OF THE MAKER 122

JAN DILENSCHNEIDER 124

MAHLAN 20 JOHNSON 22

NEALE 24 SAVIO 50 KASICH 54 Our mission is pretty straightforward – we invest in Be Fearless people and ideas that can change the world.

An Interview with Jean Case, Chairman, National Geographic Society, and CEO, Case Foundation

EDITORS’ NOTE Jean Case knows a Will you discuss your involvement Playing that catalyst role requires that we That is one reality that I have learned a success. I also tell some stories of people that As you dove deeper into your research thing or two about being fearless, mak- with National Geographic and how remain engaged with things for somewhere lot about – you have to be careful not to just haven’t been heard before. However, they’re for the book, were you surprised at what ing big bets, being bold and tak- you define its mission? between three to five years. There have been a measure the here and now – if we’re taking on important stories because, on the surface, it you found? ing risks. Whether it is in her role as the At National Geographic, we believe few exceptions where it goes longer than that. big things, we have to evaluate them across the might appear that these people didn’t have any- I totally was, but I love stories and I have first female Chairman of the National in the power of exploration, science, Another element that we have believed in spectrum of time. thing working for them that would allow them been so privileged in this life I have. We invest Geographic Society in its 130-year his- storytelling and education to change the since our founding as a new organization is col- When you evaluate taking on those big to do something big, but I make it clear how in people and ideas that can change the world, tory of global exploration, as CEO of world. We get to work with fearless men laboration. As a foundation undertaking large ini- things, is it important to stay within certain they went about it and embraced many aspects so no matter where I am in the world and who the Case Foundation, which invests in and women all over the world who are tiatives, we require that we have a public sector key areas of focus to make sure you have of the Be Fearless ethos. I meet, I’m always interested in the stories of people and ideas that can change the often on the frontlines of the unknown. partner and a business partner, be that corpo- the most impact? The framework of the book is based on people. world, or her extensive career in the It has been a terrific experience to rate or start-ups, as well as a nonprofit partner. We begin by asking the question, “what five principles that we uncovered about six When I wrote the book, I went back to the private sector, including her leadership work with this 130-year-old organiza- Hopefully, other philanthropies will also play a can we uniquely bring to this objective?” If there years ago at the Case Foundation. We have town I was born in and stayed by myself at an role at America Online, Inc. where tion that, in my view, is more relevant role with us to try to achieve impact at scale. are plenty of others that can go in and play the been sharing these principles across sectors for Airbnb for a few weeks. I got up every morning she was a senior executive directing Jean Case today than it has ever been before. Is multi-level collaboration and finding role, then we wouldn’t necessarily be uniquely a number of years now. Many people told us and wrote until I went to bed at night. the marketing and branding as AOL Will you highlight the innovation the right partners a key to creating impact? suited to jump in. that more people need to hear this message and I was newly inspired each day as I would brought the internet to the masses, fearlessness has that is taking place at National Geographic and Yes, no question. When we build a table of We are sector, cause and issue agnostic – it was because of this that we made the decision write these stories and, of course, I found that always been a core tenet of Case’s work. how the organization has evolved in order to different perspectives and skills and capacities, we always look at the big picture of where we to write the book. there were many more stories than those that As a philanthropist, investor and internet remain relevant? it’s not surprising that we can go a lot further can uniquely play a role to catalyze and help could make it into the book. and impact investing pioneer, Case advocates Although pictures of our founders show faster. drive a movement forward. I love each and every story and they’re in for the importance of embracing a more fearless them all looking quite Victorian and serious, It doesn’t matter to us whether we get any What interested you to write your the book for a reason. approach to innovation and bringing about trans- the truth is that they were some pretty radi- credit or branding around these objectives – book, Be Fearless, and who is the target You mentioned five principles which formational breakthroughs. In addition to the roles cal change makers themselves. Innovation and what matters most is that we put together a rich audience for it? were developed from the work you have noted above, Case currently serves on the boards of risk taking has been in the DNA of National and diverse collaboration that covers all the The book is a call to action and a play- done over a lifetime of experiences. Will you Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2) and the Geographic Society from its founding. bases to move things to scale quickly. book for anyone looking to build a life of break- discuss those principles that are so key to White House Historical Association, as well as on We continue to push that innovation enve- Are the philanthropic programs for throughs and purpose. your philosophy and thinking? the advisory boards of the Brain Trust Accelerator lope in a number of ways. Baked into our the Case Foundation metric driven and is At some point in their lives, most people The book is a call Not surprisingly, the first is to make big Fund, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil business model from its beginning, National it difficult to put metrics in place for this have a dream, but they can get stuck by a belief bets and make history. The idea is not to settle Society and Georgetown University’s Beeck Center Geographic Society is really a social enterprise. type of work? that they don’t have what it takes to pursue it. to action and a for incremental change. for Social Impact and Innovation. She was elected to We had a joint venture with 21st Century Fox, When we make the decision to invest or make This book demystifies things a little bit As I said earlier, a lot of people have big the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016 which is now being acquired by Disney who something a key focus of the foundation it starts with through storytelling and proves the point that ideas but they lack a playbook or framework to and has received honorary degrees from Indiana will be our new partner, that has contributed to the question, “What does success look like?” ordinary people, anyone from anywhere, can playbook for anyone guide them on how to take those forward. University and . Be Fearless: our commercial businesses. Sometimes, we know we’re going to be do extraordinary things. The second principle is to be bold and take 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose, From that, we have a sustainable revenue that able to measure our progress toward the objec- I’m a great example of that. Anyone who risks. Our brains are wired to avoid risk, but is her first book. comes from memberships and licensing every year tive with precision. Success is also not just mea- looked at my early life would never have pre- looking to build a if people are trying to do something new and to help fund the National Geographic Society. sured by reaching those metrics, but also about dicted that the opportunities would come along innovating on the front lines, they have to rec- ORGANIZATION BRIEF The Case Foundation It’s a very sustainable and innovative busi- the progress we’re making in driving our objec- to try to make a difference in the ways that I ognize that they’re taking risks and they have (casefoundation.org), created in 1997 by digital pio- ness model, and I like to say that we were the tive toward becoming a reality. have. life of breakthroughs to get comfortable with that risk. I encourage neers Jean and , is a diverse and dynamic first social enterprise, because our social model It was easy to see the impact of our HIV/ Do you attribute that to finding the right people to look at this almost as R&D. When we institution by design. It creates programs and invests in started 130 years ago. AIDS or malaria work in the early days because mentors and what are some of the other fac- and purpose. adopt this point of view, we naturally recognize people and organizations that embrace the Be Fearless What was your vision and mission in the numbers make the broader impact the tors that led to your success? that everything is not always going to work out, principles and harness the best impulses of entrepre- creating the Case Foundation? movement has had quite clear. But then there I’m very careful to give the credit to many but we can always pick up, learn and move neurship, innovation, technology and collabo- Our mission is pretty straightforward – we are some areas where it is less clear, and we’re people who, through spirit and generosity of forward. ration to drive exponential impact. In particular, it invest in people and ideas that can change the still comfortable with that. We feel that if we are resources, have helped me find opportunities That leads to the third principle, which is focuses on catalyzing movements and collaborating to world. working to create conditions as a first step for in life. to make failure matter. If you examine the life bring forward ideas that have transformative poten- We just talked about National Geographic; a movement to take off, it will be harder some- The book tries to demystify the idea that it of anyone who has achieved something extraor- tial and can lead to uncovering new, more impactful it’s clear that the continuity that applies to times to establish those metrics. takes genius, wealth, or a powerful network. I dinary, you’ll find a story of failure somewhere ways of addressing chronic social challenges. National Geographic is one that we want to We also had to mature a little as an orga- try to accomplish this through telling the stories along the path. Sometimes you really have to Today, the Case Foundation is driving at apply to the Case Foundation as well and, nization. We are 21 years old, but there have of unlikely heroes. I feel that now, more than ever before, look for it, because too often as people advance two major movements – impact investing and inclu- at a broader level, it has been very consistent been some things in which we invested in the Too often, when someone breaks through people can be overcome with fear and discour- through life they sanitize their stories, making sive entrepreneurship. As a movement catalyzer, it is through the years. early days where I thought it really didn’t work. or finds success, the story about what happened agement. It’s a clarion call to go out there and it sound as if everything was carefully planned. taking a fearless approach to social innovation to tip However, every three to five years we will It turns out that we just needed to give it some between when they started out and when they be bold and take risks and take a big bet on The fourth principle is to reach beyond individuals and organizations from good intentions to tilt our focus to new initiatives and new oppor- time and, 10 years later, we could see the dra- found success gets sanitized. the future. your bubble and build unlikely partnerships. meaningful actions. Within both movements, the Case tunities. We work to inspire, educate and activate matic effect of some of our earlier investments. I try to peel back the onion on some bet- I find that most people have ideas – This is about building a diverse table and put- Foundation sees boundless potential to get all oars in people out there around two movements – It just took time for conditions to come together ter-known success stories to make it clear that it they just don’t have a clue about how to ting people around us who have different skills the water to help solve the most pressing social problems. impact investing and inclusive entrepreneurship. and for things to move. was not a smooth ride from the start to finding get started. and perspectives. In an era when so many 14 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2019 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 42, NUMBER 1 Our mission is pretty straightforward – we invest in people and ideas that can change the world.

That is one reality that I have learned a success. I also tell some stories of people that As you dove deeper into your research lot about – you have to be careful not to just haven’t been heard before. However, they’re for the book, were you surprised at what measure the here and now – if we’re taking on important stories because, on the surface, it you found? big things, we have to evaluate them across the might appear that these people didn’t have any- I totally was, but I love stories and I have spectrum of time. thing working for them that would allow them been so privileged in this life I have. We invest When you evaluate taking on those big to do something big, but I make it clear how in people and ideas that can change the world, things, is it important to stay within certain they went about it and embraced many aspects so no matter where I am in the world and who key areas of focus to make sure you have of the Be Fearless ethos. I meet, I’m always interested in the stories of the most impact? The framework of the book is based on people. We begin by asking the question, “what five principles that we uncovered about six When I wrote the book, I went back to the can we uniquely bring to this objective?” If there years ago at the Case Foundation. We have town I was born in and stayed by myself at an are plenty of others that can go in and play the been sharing these principles across sectors for Airbnb for a few weeks. I got up every morning role, then we wouldn’t necessarily be uniquely a number of years now. Many people told us and wrote until I went to bed at night. suited to jump in. that more people need to hear this message and I was newly inspired each day as I would We are sector, cause and issue agnostic – it was because of this that we made the decision write these stories and, of course, I found that we always look at the big picture of where we to write the book. there were many more stories than those that can uniquely play a role to catalyze and help could make it into the book. drive a movement forward. I love each and every story and they’re in What interested you to write your the book for a reason. book, Be Fearless, and who is the target You mentioned five principles which audience for it? were developed from the work you have The book is a call to action and a play- done over a lifetime of experiences. Will you book for anyone looking to build a life of break- discuss those principles that are so key to throughs and purpose. your philosophy and thinking? At some point in their lives, most people The book is a call Not surprisingly, the first is to make big have a dream, but they can get stuck by a belief bets and make history. The idea is not to settle that they don’t have what it takes to pursue it. to action and a for incremental change. This book demystifies things a little bit As I said earlier, a lot of people have big through storytelling and proves the point that ideas but they lack a playbook or framework to ordinary people, anyone from anywhere, can playbook for anyone guide them on how to take those forward. do extraordinary things. The second principle is to be bold and take I’m a great example of that. Anyone who risks. Our brains are wired to avoid risk, but looked at my early life would never have pre- looking to build a if people are trying to do something new and dicted that the opportunities would come along innovating on the front lines, they have to rec- to try to make a difference in the ways that I ognize that they’re taking risks and they have have. life of breakthroughs to get comfortable with that risk. I encourage Do you attribute that to finding the right people to look at this almost as R&D. When we mentors and what are some of the other fac- and purpose. adopt this point of view, we naturally recognize tors that led to your success? that everything is not always going to work out, I’m very careful to give the credit to many but we can always pick up, learn and move people who, through spirit and generosity of forward. resources, have helped me find opportunities That leads to the third principle, which is in life. to make failure matter. If you examine the life The book tries to demystify the idea that it of anyone who has achieved something extraor- takes genius, wealth, or a powerful network. I dinary, you’ll find a story of failure somewhere try to accomplish this through telling the stories along the path. Sometimes you really have to of unlikely heroes. I feel that now, more than ever before, look for it, because too often as people advance Too often, when someone breaks through people can be overcome with fear and discour- through life they sanitize their stories, making or finds success, the story about what happened agement. It’s a clarion call to go out there and it sound as if everything was carefully planned. between when they started out and when they be bold and take risks and take a big bet on The fourth principle is to reach beyond found success gets sanitized. the future. your bubble and build unlikely partnerships. I try to peel back the onion on some bet- I find that most people have ideas – This is about building a diverse table and put- ter-known success stories to make it clear that it they just don’t have a clue about how to ting people around us who have different skills was not a smooth ride from the start to finding get started. and perspectives. In an era when so many VOLUME 42, NUMBER 1 POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2019 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. LEADERS 15 We have to require more than just financial returns from those we invest in to allow purpose to become the driving focus.

people are retreating to their corners, the fear- I do. Impact investing is an area we have the United States and a great philanthropist. In less change makers have to walk out into the been deeply engaged in. Last year, the num- Indianapolis, there are buildings that honor her center of the arena and beckon all the others ber of assets going into impact investing nearly name. to join them. doubled. I like to tell women that are thinking Companies that are doing that today are We have a new generation of investors about taking a business forward, if Madam outperforming those that are not diverse or comprised of a diverse group of younger peo- C.J. Walker could take what she had to deal bringing a diverse table. There is a lot of com- ple and women who see capital as a powerful with 100 years ago and make a phenomenal pelling evidence around this particular principle tool to change the world. success, they can too. no matter which sector one is looking at. It hap- We have to require more than just financial We have all faced challenges and continue pens to be true across time and across sectors. returns from those we invest in to allow pur- to, but the clarion call in the book is to face The last, but not least, principle is to let pose to become the driving focus. down your fears and not let failures get you urgency conquer fear. Today, many people feel We are deeply engaged in this work and down or cause you to stop. Instead, be inspired a sense of urgency or a need for a change, and are big believers in the potential of a new by great stories of people who faced many often this will become the difference between way of looking at companies and capital more more challenges than many of us ever will and whether they can dig deep to do something dif- broadly and asking those companies how they still found a way to break through. ficult or not. We can look away and let compla- can do more. What advice do you give young people cency take hold, or we can use these moments The best and the brightest of talent will about finding and following their passions and let urgency conquer fear to make a differ- be drawn to these companies and CEOs know and building sustainable careers? ence. I tell a number of different stories about that. They know that, in order to retain their As the stories from my book illustrate people who, in a moment where they felt a talent, they have to be a good corporate actor time and again, great things don’t come from sense of urgency, were able to break through. and hopefully focus on more than just the comfort zones. People have to be willing to As I talk to people in the U.S. and around bottom line. become a little uncomfortable and to take risk the world, I hope that they will be able to use I’m most excited about this new generation and overcome failure in pursuit of a big idea this book as a tool to help them get out and of companies, many of which I talk about in the or even in taking the next step in pursuit of create the change they want to see. book. Social impact is in the DNA behind these their careers. It’s really important to recog- Are these principles that can be taught companies. nize – and there is overwhelming compel- or are you born with these abilities? In the book, I share the story of Warby ling data on this – that failure is success in There is a myth that entrepreneurs are Parker, which is a great brand and a very suc- progress. born and can’t be developed, and we tend to cessful impact company, and Greyston Bakery Almost anyone I’ve ever spoken to who think of entrepreneurs as great risk-takers. whose mission says, “We don’t hire people had success will say the road to success was I literally put tips in the book for how to check to bake brownies; we bake brownies to hire filled with potholes that they had to get past. If yourself on many of these things. I’ve learned that people.” Its open hiring policies have been young people could embrace this reality, they’re one benefit of getting older is having the ability to transformative. off to the races. step back and learn from your experiences. I use many examples of this new genera- During the process of putting the book For many years, I didn’t realize the power tion of companies and this new generation of together, was there time for reflection and of intentionality and of recognizing the level investors, employees and consumers who are were you able to take some moments to of one’s risk tolerance. Once I did, I came to demanding more. appreciate all that you have accomplished? understand the value of putting an action plan There is dialogue today around the I share many personal vignettes and sto- in place to get more comfortable with risk or opportunities for women in business and ries, even though the focus is on other people’s figuring out how to take a little more risk to leveling the playing field. Do you feel this stories. I do share quite a number of stories and move an idea forward. I’ve created some exer- issue is being addressed effectively? critical moments in my own life including some cises in the book that refer to this. I don’t think enough focus has been put disappointments and moments when I wasn’t These things most definitely can be on it. We have really tried to shine a light on sure what the future would bring, both as a taught – it’s not just that I believe it; I have actu- the jarring data. Last year, just 10 percent of young person and into my adulthood. ally seen it. investment capital went to women and only 1 I also remind the readers that although In the six years we have been doing this percent of companies have an African-American I’m writing a book called Be Fearless, I never work, I have had people come back to me to founder. thought of myself as a fearless person. What tell me how these principles have inspired and I tell stories throughout the book of I have developed the skill to do is stare down motivated them to make a difference. women entrepreneurs. The one I purposefully fear and move past it. How important is it for leading com- put right in the front of the book is Madam C.J. That is the true spirit of being fearless. I panies today to be purpose-driven and do Walker, who lived 100 years ago and was born tried to be super honest about that in the book you feel that companies have a responsi- the daughter of slaves. She went on to build a and bring my own fears and failures into it and bility to create a bigger purpose than just great company and became what many recog- share with readers what I found helped me the bottom line? nize as the first female self-made millionaire in overcome them.• 16 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2019 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 42, NUMBER 1