The most important characteristic of leadership is personal credibility, according to Nina Vaca, CEO of workforce management consultancy Pinnacle Group.
Without credibility, a leader will not be effective inspiring others or articulating the company’s vision.
“People will not follow you if they don’t believe in you,” Vaca says in the video above. “They will not follow you unless you’re building something larger than yourself.”
Since emigrating from Ecuador in 1960s, Vaca’s family has personified the American Dream. Her father, Hernan, was an entrepreneur. Her mother, Amanda, was a civic leader. Vaca has patterned her career after both.
One of the most influential Latinos in the United States, Vaca founded the Pinnacle Group in 1996 with just $300, according to an August 2015 article in the Dallas Business Journal, and has grown it to one generating nearly $700 million in annual revenues. In 2015, Pinnacle was named the Fastest-Growing Women-Owned Business in the country by the Womens’ Presidents Organization, and the company is one of the largest Latina-owned businesses in the U.S.
In 2014, Vaca was appointed a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship by the Obama administration, and she has been the recipient of numerous honors for her business successes, civic leadership and philanthropy. She’s also been elected to serve on the board of directors of three publicly traded companies — Comerica Bank, Kohl’s and Cinemark.
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