6. John Smale

John Smale, former Procter & Gamble (P&G) CEO and former Chairman of the Board for General Motors, is both a leader and a historian. Smale’s speech to the Commonwealth Commercial Club in 1993 represents leadership driven by core values. He said, “As I look out, I see faces of many, many friends. People that I’ve known, respected, and admired for decades and those of you that make up the leadership of Cincinnati working hard to make this city an attractive place to live. Your backgrounds and the organizations you’ve helped lead are all unique, of course, but you’ve shared the responsibilities of leadership. You’ve all grappled with the nebulous, but crucial challenge of shaping a vision and then guiding an organizational structure ...

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