Inside Vanguard: Leadership Secrets From the Company That Continues to Rewrite the Rules of the Investing Business

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FLYWHEEL

Using a personal experience, Bill McNabb makes his point on the value of teamwork and strong, shared commitment. “As a kid in Rochester, I delivered an evening newspaper, the Times-Union, with a friend. We split the route. When we worked together, it took us each 35 minutes. He complained that he didn’t like to work as fast as I preferred. Once, when my friend went on a trip with his family, I had my two younger brothers help me. We developed a system. We’d put the papers in a wheelbarrow, which I’d push up the street as fast as I could. They’d grab the papers and run them to people’s doorsteps. We could do the whole route in just 20 minutes!”

Six foot five inches tall, F. William McNabb III is modest, self-disciplined, and ...