What I Learned From an Unlikely Leader

People have often asked what sparked my interest in leadership, resilience, and meaningful work. The answer is less “what,” and more “who.”

My family is from Brazil, and I was raised in the city of Recife until I was 20. Growing up, some of my extended family worked at a transportation company that bussed people around the northeast. The founder of the company was revered and beloved in my hometown. I often heard stories of his kindness and generosity in an era when cutthroat, command-and-control leadership was the norm. Despite only having a high school education, he was an exceptional leader and a talented mechanical engineer.

This leader was my grandfather.

The youngest of 12 children, my grandfather Mario Schwambach grew up on a cattle farm in the south of Brazil. His dad died when he was 2, and the family struggled to make ends meet. He didn't have shoes until he was seven years old. As a child, he sold milk and butter barefoot around his neighborhood.

?Mario co-founded the bussing company Borborema with his brother in 1956. He was a naturally gifted mechanical engineer, even though his formal education ended when he was 18. Mercedes-Benz, the manufacturer of his buses, invited him to study at their factory in S?o Paulo. He was very committed to his business, working seven days a week into his 80s. The company grew to become the largest transportation company in the northeast, if not all of Brazil, and won many awards for its quality of service.

But, to me, what stands out the most is not the business success, but the many stories I hear about what grandpa was like as a leader. He always assumed good intentions. When someone did something wrong or wasn’t meeting expectations, my grandfather never accused them. Instead, he would say, “tell me what happened,” or “how can I help you?” He saw mistakes as learning opportunities. By listening to all sides and giving people a chance to explain their thinking, he made them never want to repeat their mistakes. Other leaders in the company humiliated people by yelling at them in front of others. But my grandfather never raised his voice.?

He was a human-centered leader. Once, he had a worker who approached him wanting to sell his vacation time back to the company to make extra money. But my grandfather valued rest and knew how important it was for his people to be able to take their earned vacation—they would feel better and perform better. So my grandfather asked questions and learned that this worker was going through a rough patch financially, worried that he wouldn’t have enough to purchase school supplies for his 4 children. And so the next day, my grandfather went out and bought the school supplies out of his own pocket.?

My grandfather had a growth mindset. He cultivated psychological safety. He led with compassion. He paid attention to people and treated them well. And he believed that this led to higher productivity.?

This was someone who never went to a fancy business school, much less studied leadership principles. But the words that people use to describe him—humble, fair, curious, and kind—paint a picture of a leader who was ahead of his time.?

My grandfather died in November 2013 after a brave battle with cancer. Throughout that battle, he never stopped working. He would say, “I only want to live until the day I can no longer serve my people.” At 81, he went to work every single day until he was hospitalized.

My grandfather’s story is one of incredible resilience, exemplary leadership, and making work meaningful—all the topics I’m most passionate about. To this day, when I go back home, people see my maiden name and ask if I’m related to Mario Schwambach. I always love hearing what comes next after I say “yes.”