Jim Ryan: Former President & CEO, Grainger

Simply put, Jim is a pro’s pro. A simple search of his professional background would show a career filled with experience and success. But maybe more importantly, and what comes through in a phone call, is that he is caring, dedicated, and willing to help others get better. Our conversation spanned from his very limited use of technology in the late 1970’s in Oxford to walking the campus just months ago as his youngest of two graduated Miami (his older son is a Miami grad too). His principles to success are clear: 1) work hard and be dedicated, 2) learn how to work within a team and 3) personal integrity is everything. We dabbled into how he learns, even today, and how her exposes himself to the ‘unfamiliar’ to expand his own thinking. We even touched on the need of mentorship….who knows, maybe I added a new one today.