I named our new company after HMS Vanguard, Lord Horatio Nelson’s flagship at the great British victory over Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. I wanted to send a message that our battle-hardened Vanguard Group would be victorious in the mutual fund wars, and that our Vanguard would be, as the dictionary says, “the leader in a new

All that’s to the good, but only so long as those of who have chosen business careers continue to ask ourselves whether we’re chasing the fake rabbit of success or the real rabbit of meaning, defined by the contributions to our society that stem from principle, virtue, and character.

Rule 9: Lead and Manage for the Long Term

While we drown in innovation, we starve for introspection, the one quality that might allow us to truly see where we have been, where we are going, and what we must do to earn the trust of the investors.

what’s enough

Think about it: The ephemeral perception of a business is based largely on images, superficial headlines in the press, the momentary challenges—all of those hiccups and diversions that take our eye off the proverbial ball.The eternal reality of a business, in contrast, is its ability to provide good products or services that meet client needs at a

Too Much “Success,” Not Enough Character

Growth must be organic, rather than forced.

But in my long career I don’t ever recall thinking of work as work, with one exception: a stint as a pinsetter in a bowling alley (now there’s a truly Sysiphean job!).