BB&T Speaker Series
BB&T CEO Speaks on "Principled Leadership"
John A. Allison, Chairman and CEO of BB&T Corporation, spoke to businesspeople, faculty, and students November 20 on the topic of “Principled Leadership.” His presentation was the first in the 2008-2009 BB&T Foundation Speaker Series.
"A lack of principled leadership…is related to problems we’re facing today," Allison said, alluding to the country’s economic crisis in his opening remarks.
Allison said there are two essential goals for leaders: 1) to create a sense of purpose in the organization, and 2) to support a values system that turns that purpose into reality.
He then elaborated on ten primary values that help to govern BB&T’s operations:
- Reality – act on the facts; "wishing it so, doesn’t make it so."
- Reason – have an active mind and learn from experience; "Sloppy thinking gets sloppy outcomes."
- Independent thinking – “makes responsibility and creativity possible – all human progress is based on it.”
- Productivity – at the individual level, it is "the gut-level commitment to get the job done."
- Honesty – "Mean what you say and know what you mean… don’t claim a level of knowledge that you don’t have."
- Integrity – Make decisions logically based on facts; "it is the harmony of the mind and body."
- Justice – don’t under reward, don’t over reward; reward employees as individuals based on their merits and situation.
- Pride – has two roles: 1) it is a psychological reminder to do good, and 2) it is a psychological reward for doing good.
- Self-Esteem – earned by how you live your life; "Live your life with integrity and you will lift your self-esteem."
- Teamwork – do your part and be mutually supportive of others.
Allison encouraged students to think about their bigger purpose… their success is “not just about getting good grades or a job.”
The ten BB&T values are outlined in a booklet, “The BB&T Philosophy,” which was made available to the audience for the event.
Allison is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1971. He received his master’s degree in management in 1974 from Duke University. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from East Carolina University in 1995.
He is a member of the American Bankers Association and The Financial Services Roundtable. He serves on the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Board of Visitors, the Board of Visitors at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill. Mr. Allison also is a member of the boards of directors of The Financial Clearing House, the Independent College Fund, and the Global TransPark Foundation.
BB&T is a notable supporter of the Moore School. The BB&T Chair for the Study of Capitalism at the Moore School was established in 2004 with a $1 million gift from the North Carolina-based financial holding company. A course called “Foundations of Capitalism,” taught by Dr. Steven Mann, was piloted in the spring and an Ayn Rand collection has been established in the Springs Business Library of the Moore School.
Click image to view Webcast of the Event
Gail Crouch
November 2008