Exceptional

InspirationIdeas, facts and figures from the world of businessLessons for myteenage selfSusan FranklinFounder, Franklin CompaniesBusiness pioneers Louis B. NeumillerHe oversaw huge expansion, but the Caterpillar CEO exemplifiedmodesty in management.Two months after Louis B. Neumillerwas named Chief Executive ofCaterpillar, the Japanese attackedPearl Harbor. It was an act ofwar that would transform thegeopolitical landscape. To Neumiller,it was also an opportunity to turnCaterpillar into a global operation.Neumiller (pictured above,left) started his career at HoltManufacturing Company in 1915,when he was 19 years old. Despitehis minimal formal education, herose through the ranks first at Holtand then at Caterpillar after thetwo companies merged. He got thetop job in 1941, just before the USjoined the war.When Caterpillar was asked toconvert its factories to artilleryproduction, Neumiller convinced theArmy that it would be better servedif Caterpillar continued to buildbulldozers and tractors. He believedits heavy machinery could be usedto clear roads and construct landingstrips in the theaters of war.His gamble paid off. In just fouryears, Caterpillar sold US$500mof equipment to the Governmentand doubled its workforce. And bythe end of the war, Caterpillar’syellow-and-black livery had becomea familiar sight in Asia and Europe,continents now badly in need ofreconstruction. The companycapitalized on this need by settingup sales offices to push newproducts and service centers torepair old equipment in war-torncountries. It would form the basisfor a truly global operation.By the time he stepped downin 1954, Neumiller had tripledCaterpillar’s net assets and securedhalf the market for earth-movingequipment. But he never wantedcredit for these achievements,preferring to let the companytake the glory.THE BIGNUMBERUS$1.2bThe amount atwhich WarbyParker hasbeen valued,making it a“unicorn”• See feature,page 36“Be more intentional aboutthe company you keep,as those relationshipswill define you. Cultivaterelationships with individualswho will encourage youto achieve with excellenceso that you may serve thegreater good and see thebenefits sooner.”My first jobSean KaneCofounder and COO,The Honest Company“[I worked] at my parents’dry cleaning business. Theaverage temperature duringthe summer indoors wasaround 95 degrees. It wasmy first experience providingexcellent customer service —something my mom wasmost passionate about.On top of that, you neverknow what you’ll find inpeople’s pockets.”Photography Time Life Pictures/Getty Images4