The Detroit Free Press recently printed a nice article (March 7, 2010) on David Brandon, former CEO of Valassis and Domino’s Pizza and current athletic director for the University of Michigan. Brandon has been a very successful leader in everything he’s done – including his time as a UM football player when he was looked to as a team leader despite not seeing much time on the field.

In profiling Brandon, the article reviews several characteristics that contribute to successful organizational leadership, including a genuine interest in people, holding those people to high standards, and a direct approach to problem-solving.

One of his longtime employees at Valassis was Jim Craig. Yes, it’s that Jim Craig, the U.S. goalie on the 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympic team. He summarized Brandon’s style as “listen, learn, and lead.” That’s a nice mantra for CEOs to remember, but it also works for advisors. In working with our clients, listening and learning are so important, but they must be followed by counsel that is biased toward disciplined action.