I was reminded of these thoughts during my travel to Perdue Farms out in Salisbury, Md., strangely enough on a couple occasions during the trip. Obviously, Perdue’s corporate culture has persisted for decades, and I was impressed by the company’s ability to translate the Perdue family’s desire to be environmentally friendly into positive initiatives and projects even before environmental sustainability became “the thing” to do. No doubt, a strong, proactive leadership with a clear direction has allowed that to happen in the face of cost burdens.
Another incident reminded me of leadership qualities on my way home at BWI Airport. I stopped to have dinner at one of the concourse restaurants, and there were seats available at the counter (not the bar seriously!), so I decided to sit there and watch the work behind the counter and in the kitchen.