The commander of business: Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, Oct-Nov, 2005

Since the last century, any American success story where someone has risen from rags to riches is called a Horatio Alger Story. Alger wrote over 134 enormously successful novels, all with same message: no matter who you are, no matter if you are poor, orphaned or powerless, if you persevere, if you am determined, if you do your best, if you am honest, if you always try to do the right thing, you will succeed. The American Dream is available to those willing to work hard enough to make their dreams come true.

Carlos Gutierrez personifies the American dream; he is a role model for all Americans, and most especially for Hispanics.

Gutierrez has the distinction of having risen to the pinnacle of success in, not one, but two parallel universes: corporate America and public service. In 1999, after 20 years working for the Kellogg's Company, he became the youngest Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the company's nearly 100- year history. In April 2000, he was named chairman of the board of Kellogg's Company. On February 7th, 2005, he was sworn in as Secretary of Commerce. He is the first Hispanic to serve in this most critical of Presidential Cabinet positions, and he does so in a time of growing economic crisis for all Americans. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and with an ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan, all of his experience and leadership abilities are definitely being tested.

As CEO of Kellogg's, Gutierrez turned his company around, making it the number one cereal maker in the United States, increasing its sales by 43 percent, with a 131 percent increase in earnings per share to its shareholders. He made Kellogg's a corporate role model that other corporations need to follow. Currently, Kellogg's has two Hispanics among its board of directors and a strong commitment to the Hispanic community.

Gutierrez's relationship with Kellogg began in Mexico City at age 20 when this son of an immigrant pineapple merchant took a job driving a Kellogg's truck selling Zucaritas (Frosted Flakes) to mom-and-pop stores. His family had resettled in Mexico City from the U.S. He was born in Havana, Cuba in 1953 and came to the United States with his family in 1960 as political refugees from Castro's Cuba. He learned English from a bellhop in a Miami hotel, and later became an American citizen. He has often said, "My most cherished possession is my U.S. Passport." Ten years after he started with the company, he was running the Mexican business. 15 years after that, he was running the entire company.

A humble, dignified man, he speaks of his father as being his greatest source of inspiration for getting an education and for his desire for success in business. As for his success, he credits a single lifelong philosophy, "My approach has been to always do every job as effectively and the best that I can. I have always focused as hard as I can on the job I had at any particular time and not to project ahead. Every new job was a break and an opportunity to demonstrate what I could do in that job. The first break I received was being accepted to join the Kellogg Company." Of the series of opportunities that became available to him around the world from Kellogg as a result of applying this philosophy, culminating in his becoming the CEO of Kellogg, Gutierrez says, "Every job, every thing I have done is a break, an opportunity to prove myself. I know that if I do a job well, the future will pay off."

Leading the Department Commerce, Supporting President Bush.

From his work in business and in government he has come to believe that both have similar goals, both am interested in growth, prosperity and in doing what is best for people. As a starting point from these commonalities, both business and government am on the same team--the American team. As a leader, whether in business or the public sector, he holds a strong premium on supporting yourself with the best staff possible, "If you surround yourself with great people and if you work hard and stay focused you can pursue and achieve great results, outcomes and success. Regardless of whether you am working in the public or the private sector, although the environment may be different, the fundamentals of management are the same."

He has taken this mentality and begun translating it into his role as a government leader, "My primary role is to support the President's agenda in creating an environment for businesses small and large to be able to flourish and to create jobs and grow our economy," Gutierrez explained. Continuing, "If I am to leave any kind of legacy from being Secretary of Commerce, it would be that I played a role in helping the President put this country on a course of growth and prosperity. The President has had one agenda from his first day in office, to lead this country on an unparalleled path on the road to prosperity. My role, along with many others is to help the president to achieve this goal."

In leaving an incredibly successful position in the private sector, Gutierrez, as many, many others in government, have made very significant sacrifices in income and other factors for themselves and their families. For Gutierrez, it is his feelings for and about President Bush and the opportunity to serve others that justify his decisions and his sacrifices. "I admire the President very much, for me he is the personification and example of what leadership is all about. I felt that from the first time I met him. He is redefining the meaning of what Presidential leadership is. He confronts the big problems and never shies away from making the tough decisions. He doesn't believe in passing the buck. He is decisive and sticks by his decisions. Along with great vision and foresight, those are all the hallmarks of great leadership."