The Beginning
“Everything he says makes sense—and frankly—finding someone like that is a rarity.”
WARREN BUFFETT, 2002, TALKING ABOUT JIM KILTS, CEO OF GILLETTE1
Early in my career, I was working on a large-scale research study with one of the most prestigious international consulting firms. I was the only outside consultant on a team with eight partners and associates, all of whom had graduated from very elite academic institutions.
As an objective observer of this group, I quickly noticed that most of the best thinking and ideas were being generated by one person. Her name was Barbara.* She was the only woman in the group, and while she was not the most aggressive or charismatic person in the room, she consistently saw, with exceptional ...
