Lute Harmon Jr.
Great Lakes Publishing
Education: Ohio University
What Guides My Decision-Making: My dad has a saying, “Good decisions get better; bad decisions get worse.” You will know pretty quickly which way it is going, and you need to be honest with yourself and change course if necessary.
What I’d Tell 16-Year-Old Me: Why bother, the 16-year-old me wouldn’t listen anyway. I would tell my 22-year-old self to swing for the fences and not be afraid to strike out. It is hard to have that confidence starting out, but it is a lot easier to take chances before you have a family or significant business responsibilities.
Most Important Leadership Quality: Empathy. How can you get people to where you want them to go if you don’t know where they are now?
If I Could Have Any Other Job: Head coach of the Super Bowl champion Cleveland Browns
The Advice I’d Give Someone New: Don’t be afraid to show your excitement for what you are doing. It makes it more fun for everyone involved. If you are not excited, do something else.
Biggest Regret: Selling my Apple stock to pay for my first honeymoon 25 years ago