Kenneth Chenault, 56, is the CEO of the No.3 credit card company, American Express, a $27 billion franchise with 65,000 employees.  Born in Long Island, NY, Chenault obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History from Bowdoin College In 1973 and then graduated from Harvard Law School in 1976.  In the early days of his career he was an associate with the Rogers & Wells law firm and a management consultant with Bain & Co.  In 1981 Chenault joined American Express, where he has climbed to his current CEO position.

In 2001, when Chenault was named the CEO of American Express, the economy was in a recession and American Express lost 11 employees in the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center, across the street from its headquarters.  Leveraging his leadership skills, Chenault was able to navigate through turbulent waters and keep Amex afloat.  Now he faces additional challenges in the current credit crisis, but given his track record, Chenault will likely do just as well through these difficult times. 

It is clear that Chenault’s leadership skills were critical is his ascent in the corporate world.  When asked what he learned that helped to propel his career here is what he had to say:

“Many people don’t focus enough on execution.  If you make a commitment to get something done, you need to follow through on that commitment.”

When it is time to define what leadership is all about, he paraphrases Napoleon :

“The role of the leader is to define reality and give hope”

Where did Chenault obtain his tremendous leadership skills that have served him so well? Is leadership an innate skill that you are born with, or can it be learned?  Here are his thoughts on the subject:

“There are some people that are born leaders.  But the best leaders work at it day in and day out.  I do believe that good leaders can be trained.”

And how do you know who is a leader?  “Pretty easy: Just look at the followership”, he says. 

Learn more about Chenault in this report from US News and World Report about America's Best Leaders.

In your search for success in business, one of the most critical abilities you will need to hone is your leadership skills.  One effective way to do this is to study successful leaders like Chenault and learn from them.