St. Louis business leader Harlan Steinbaum has attracted considerable attention and praise for his new book, “Tough Calls from the Corner Office,” which has the subtitle “Top Business Leaders Reveal Their Career-defining Moments” (Harper Business, $25.99).  Steinbaum has been featured on numerous local radio shows and his book is scheduled to be reviewed by USA Today this week

In the book, Steinbaum interviews numerous business leaders, including several members of the local Jewish community key moments in their respective careers that empowered them to succeed, sometimes after a setback or in the aftermath of an odd coincidence.

Steinbaum, former chairman and CEO of Medicare-Glaser and chairman of ExpressScripts, will participate in an interactive discussion among local business and community leaders who have spent their lives creating, building and running large corporations and billion-dollar companies. Larry Levin, Publisher/CEO of the St. Louis Jewish Light, will moderate. Included in the panel will be:

Susan Elliott, founder and chairman of SSE

Ambassador George Herbert Walker III, chairman emeritus of Stifel Nicolaus

Frank Jacobs, co-founder, chair and CEO of Jacobs International and former chair of Falcon Products

The Light caught up with Steinbaum for an interview on the highlights of his new book.

What inspired you to write your book?

I was a CEO for many years, and during that time made literally thousands of decisions, but there was one that stood out in my mind more than all the rest. I call it my “defining moment.” That was the decision that had the great estimpact on me, my family, and my company.

I wondered if other business leaders had experienced the same thing, and I found that they had. Their stories were fascinating and compelling.

What were your career-defining moments?

We were a family-owned business that sold out to Pet, Inc., a conglomerate listed on the New York stock exchange. They had the resources to help us implement our growth plans. Shortly after a period of time my partners and I felt that we could best implement the plans to grow our company by ourselves, even without the resources of Pet. That became my “defining moment” – to approach Pet with a proposal to buy our company back. After a tough negotiation, we re-acquired our company. It turned out to be a good decision, and became the most important business decision that I ever made.

Readers will be interested in the number of local Jewish business leaders included in your book, including Gerry Greenwald, Maxine Clark, Lee Liberman, Michael Staenberg, Frank Jacobs and others. Is there any “common denominator” among these leaders that sets them apart from their non-Jewish counterparts?

All of the business leaders profiled in my book pretty much had the same basic traits. I cannot differentiate between the Jewish and non-Jewish business executives. They all showed strong leadership abilities, they demonstrated ethical behavior, they were strong planners, they knew themselves (their strengths and weaknesses), they were able to manage risk, they never stopped learning and they took responsibility for their actions. They are all fine examples of good strong executives.

I remember that back in the day, Gerry Greenwald had three jobs, including one as carhop at the old Hamburger Heaven. He eventually became CEO of Chrysler under Lee Iacocca. What are your impressions of his remarkable rise in the business world?

Gerry is extremely hard working. He is a visionary with strong leadership abilities. The people who he worked for, and who worked for him, respected him. When you find someone with the demonstrated abilities of Gerry, as a boss you want to give him more and more responsibility all the time. Gerry demonstrated that he could handle it. Gerry was extremely successful. He gave every assignment that he had his full and total commitment.

Do most successful business leaders have setbacks on their way to success?

Most business leaders have setbacks at one time or another during their business careers, or they are probably are not making enough decisions. The important thing is to weigh your risk when making a business judgment, and do a very strong job of planning. Always do a risk-reward analysis.

What role do timing and “good luck” play in making a business person successful?

Luck and being in the right place at the right time can be very beneficial. It is extremely important to be able to recognize an opportunity, and then do something about it.

Does the current generation share the same “work ethic” as the older generation success stories in your book? How do post-modern successes like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg compare in approach and career path to people like Lee Liberman or the late Isadore Millstone?

I think that any successful business person, regardless of age, must work hard and be very dedicated in order to be successful over the long-term.

Any other thoughts or observations you would like to share?

I feel that the business leaders profiled in my book are the antitheses of what you read about. They are extremely ethical, courageous and hardworking. They represent the best that American business has to offer.

 

Harlan Steinbaum

What: Author Presentation, Panel Discussion, & Book-Signing featuring Harlan Steinbaum and his new book “Tough Calls From The Corner Office”

When: 7:30-9:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17

Where: JCC’s Staenberg Family Complex, #2 Millstone Campus Drive

How much: $10 in advance; $12 at the door

More info: 314-442-3299 or www.stljewishbookfestival.org