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J IM MARAN, PRESIDENT & CEO
In today’s economy, success is a highly prized asset among the business world and many
yearn to know the secret behind it. But truth be told, the supposed ‘secret’ behind success
is not really a secret at all. In fact, it has been around for ages and is evident in every aspect
of life. This ‘secret’ has been used in times past to win battles, drive innovation and industry,
shepherd those in need, and deliver history-defining results. What is this amazing ingredient,
you ask? It’s none other than genuine leadership.
Now, there is an emphasis on genuine in that phrase, genuine leadership. You cannot
merely “think” about leading or “believe” yourself to be a leader. Quite frankly, some people
are leaders and some are not; but we can all identify one when we see it and to capitalize
on the opportunity when it presents itself to either lead ourselves or enable and trust those
leaders we know to act on our behalf is, in effect, a classic sign of genuine leadership. Not
everyone who owns his or her own business is president and CEO of it. There is a reason
for that and most likely it’s because they had the idea, but not the skill required to take it to
market. It’s what makes partners succeed and ‘team’ actually work. On the other hand, there
are those – like the late Steve Jobs – who were genuine leaders from the start, defined history
with their leadership abilities and will always go before us as an example of how to lead our
own business or community into the next era.
In Gwinnett County, we have numerous genuine leaders – from the entrepreneurs
who are winning their own “Amazing Race” to the small and medium business owners
offering products and services to keep commerce spinning and the high-powered executives
driving global corporations into tomorrow. We are truly blessed with visionaries who have
the exceptional ability to also drive those visions into reality and for it have witnessed
decades of success. And there is no other place where you’ll find such a tremendous group
of genuine local business leaders than from within the Gwinnett Chamber’s Chairman’s
Club. The make-up of this high-powered group of individuals comprises small and large
business, public policy experts, education leaders and community-organization volunteers,
all of which are essential to our community’s success. It is the one location where the bulk
of today’s local, genuine leaders come together to drive Gwinnett’s future in business,
education, government and community.
In this next issue of “The Executive”, you’ll read more about genuine leadership, how
your peers are leveraging it for the success of their business and what you can be doing
yourself, as a genuine leader, to affect pro-business change in the community. We hope
you enjoy this issue of “The Executive” and thank you for your genuine leadership that
contributes to our community’s overall success day-in and day-out. And don’t worry, your
“secret” is safe with us!
Sincerely,
JimMaran
The Secret to Success
THE EXECUTIVE – FALL 2011
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