Wisdom is often framed as something gained through experience. But for five Daniels School of Business alumni, it is also acquired by reflecting on what experience teaches, imitating people of character and serving others with intention.
Their responses to three questions — about guiding principles, personal inspirations and servant leadership — point to a shared conviction: Leadership is not simply a position. It is a daily practice of learning, modeling and giving forward.
Jody Banks (BS '93, MBA ‘03), Associate Vice President Human Resources at Chartis, is guided by three principles: caring for others, providing clear vision and direction, and learning for development. She draws inspiration from Mellody Hobson’s reminder to remain open to growth.
“Become a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all leader,” Banks says, recalling Hobson’s advice. “This perspective inspires me to treat each day as an opportunity to grow and learn from others and to practice authentic curiosity as I build relationships, solve problems and develop innovative approaches to my work.”
Banks also admires former President Barack Obama’s ability to remain composed in a crisis.
“I am inspired by Barack Obama’s emotional regulation in times of crisis,” she says. “I am energized by my work and excited about making an impact. In order to build and sustain support and collaboration, I need to meet people where they are in relation to my objectives.”
That focus has helped her develop patience and agility while working with varied stakeholders. She serves by prioritizing others’ development in ways that support both organizational goals and community impact.
“I lead by serving in a way that prioritizes the development of others in direct connection to creating value for our organization,” Banks says. “This approach supports decision-making that unleashes individual potential and aligns with organizational goals and community impact.”
Rich Freeland (BSIM ‘79,) retired COO and President of Cummins, Inc., believes in surrounding himself with great people, forming partnerships and building resilience.
“People who have high integrity and are positive and supportive make you a better leader and person,” Freeland says. “Be purposeful in who you select and deselect.”
He believes partnerships shape achievement and well-being.
“We succeed in life and have more happiness through partnerships,” Freeland says. “There is very little that is accomplished individually. Successful people accumulate many advocates and supporters. This is done by being a net giver in these relationships.”
Freeland also sees resilience as an essential response to uncertainty.
“The rate of change in business and in life is ever-increasing,” he says. “It is impossible to accurately predict the future and how these changes will affect us. The best response is to build resilience. This is done by putting ourselves in challenging situations that stretch us.”
His parents remain his greatest inspiration. Growing up as the seventh of eight children on a small farm, Freeland’s family did not have much materially, but his parents instilled integrity, hard work and kindness.
“My mom was the one who pushed me to go to college and encouraged me to take on challenges,” he says. “I always knew she was my biggest supporter.”
His father was a quieter example of service, a man of few words who “led by example, working hard and volunteering in the school and church.”
A first-generation college student, Freeland describes Purdue as life changing. Today, he mentors and provides financial help to students with similar backgrounds.
“I want to give these opportunities to others,” he says. “I work with similar first-generation students to mentor and provide financial assistance so they can have these same opportunities.”
Peter Kingma (BS '89), Americas EY-Parthenon Working Capital Leader for Ernst & Young, LLP, believes leadership begins with building exceptional teams.
“I believe that nines hire 10s, while fives hire fours,” Kingma says. “I seek out people who are smarter, more capable and more experienced than I am because they make the entire team better.”
Leadership, he believes, is not about being the most talented person in the room.
“It is about attracting, promoting and empowering exceptional talent. When you help great people succeed, the organization achieves far more than any one individual could accomplish alone.”
Kingma also chooses truth over comfort.
“Honest conversations are often uncomfortable in the moment, but they create trust, drive improvement and lead to better outcomes over time,” he says. “People deserve candid feedback, clear expectations and transparency, even when the message is difficult.”
His third principle is to learn from failure quickly.
“Progress rarely comes from playing it safe,” Kingma says. “It comes from taking thoughtful risks, testing ideas and adapting quickly when something does not work.”
He credits his father, Gordon Kingma, with showing him that leadership is rooted in character. Gordon Kingma overcame polio as a young man, worked full time to finance his college education and later became a respected small-town banker.
“His word was his bond, and he lived a life defined by integrity, humility and service to others,” says Kingma. “His example taught me that true leadership is not measured by title or status, but by character, resilience and the impact you have on the people around you.”
His mother, Barbara Kingma, was a nurse and mother of six whose example of service continues to shape him.
“She consistently put the needs of others ahead of her own,” he says. “She showed me that love is not just something we feel, but something we demonstrate through sacrifice, compassion and daily actions.”
Kingma works to serve by modeling the values he expects from his teams.
“I believe credibility is earned when leaders demonstrate the same integrity, commitment and accountability they ask of their teams,” he says. “People are more influenced by what leaders do than by what they say.”
Young Lee (BS '05), senior vice president and wealth management advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, is guided by long-term thinking, gratitude and family.
“Reputation, trust and relationships compound exponentially over time,” says Lee. “The best relationships come from people who know you will still be around in 10 years.”
Gratitude is a second guiding principle.
“Be thankful and honor those individuals and families who made a difference in your life,” he says. “I remember walking into my teacher’s office and seeing my first thank-you letter, which I wrote as a teenager, framed near his desk.”
Lee also views family as a model for professional relationships.
“Work together to support each other and contribute to the household every day,” he says. “This principle can apply professionally, too, to the families we serve and colleagues with whom we interact.”
He names Joe Dougherty as someone who challenged those around him to become better.
“Joe was the type of person who inspired you to do more and be better each day,” Lee said. “He was someone we never wanted to disappoint because we knew how much he cared.”
Lee also credits Dr. Sara Stein Koch, former director of undergraduate programs for the business school, with investing in students while managing significant personal and professional responsibilities.
“Despite working full time, finishing her PhD and raising a family, she still found time to pour into students like me,” Lee says. “I was forever grateful.”
Lee and his family endowed a Purdue scholarship in Stein Koch’s honor while he was in his 30s. He sees servant leadership as putting others first and helping them succeed.
“Brad Hintz at Purdue taught me that you can give time, talent and treasure at different stages of life,” Lee says. “In addition to giving back to the Daniels School of Business, we try to support the community where we live.”
That service has taken different forms over time, from creating Purdue athletics highlight videos and mentoring students to funding scholarships and supporting organizations.
“When things get difficult, Boilermakers pull up their bootstraps, get to work and find a way to win,” Lee says.
Marc Hochman (BSCHE ’88, MSM ’93), retired chief operating officer of A.T. Kearney, begins with a principle drawn from medicine: Do no harm.
“This part of the Hippocratic oath is applicable to all endeavors,” Hochman says. “When I was involved in leading Kearney’s first acquisition in more than 25 years, this was the first of three principles we established for managing the acquisition of a business that was very different from our core business.”
He consistently returned to those principles when presenting to the firm’s managing partner leadership team and board of directors.
“I reminded them at the start of every presentation so that we would all be on the same page,” he says.
Hochman’s second principle is to hire people who are smarter than you.
“We all bring different strengths to the table,” he says. “Good leaders surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are, allow those people to play to their strengths and reward them for doing so.”
His third standard is to ensure actions embody “essential rightness,” a concept associated with Tom Kearney, the consulting firm’s founder.
“If you do the right thing, which may not be the easy or popular thing, you will sleep well,” Hochman says.
Hochman admires Vic Schaefer, coach of the University of Texas women’s basketball team, for combining high expectations with accountability.
“His players will tell you that his practices are tough, but that is because he wants the best for his team,” Hochman said. “If the team performed well, it was all of them. If the team did not perform as well as he and they expected, he shoulders the responsibility and states that he has to do a better job of coaching.”
He also looks to Joe Raudabaugh, a former boss, mentor and business partner at Kearney.
“Joe is one of the smartest people I have ever met — IQ, but just as importantly, he has strong EQ,” Hochman said. “He built what I consider to be the strongest leadership team in the firm and let each individual play to his or her strengths.”
Hochman sees service as a long-term responsibility to develop talent.
“As a leader, one must constantly be thinking about succession and long-term planning,” he said. “The seeds you sow today may take years or decades to mature, but you must constantly be filling the pipeline with talent and investing one-on-one time in helping those people learn and grow.”
Time, he said, is the most valuable gift a leader can offer.
“The most precious asset we have is time, and to spend it helping others reach their potential is the greatest gift you can give,” Hochman said. “You have to pay it forward.”
Together, these five Business Boilermakers offer a definition of wisdom grounded in action. It grows through reflection on experience, through following examples of integrity and compassion, and through servant leadership that creates space for others to learn, contribute and lead.
