Entrepreneurial Leadership & Personal Success in spite of Adversity: Dr. Nido Qubein Part I

Entrepreneurial Leadership & Personal Success in spite of Adversity: Dr. Nido Qubein
Chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company, Chairman of Business Life, Inc., Chairman of the Miss North Carolina USA program, and President of High Point University,

Dr. Nido Qubein is a excellent example of how successful entrepreneurs succeed no matter what level of sustained adversity and challenges they face in their journey to build their businesses. Nido Qubein is a self made multi-millionaire entrepreneur and highly sought after public speaker, best-selling author, and now President of High Point University. This article is based on a personal interview with Dr. Nido Qubein, and research into his proven leadership and entrepreneurial successes starting with nothing by $50 and not able to speak English as a new immigrant.

Dr. Qubein was one of sixteen prominent successful leaders and entrepreneurs personally interviewed by Dr. Haller and which included: Dr. Anthony Bonanzino, Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch(R-UT), Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye(D-HI), J. Terrence Lanni, Dr. John Malone, Angelo Mozilo, Laurence Pino, Dr. Nido Qubein, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow (Ret.), Dr. John Sperling, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.

Dr. Haller's Entrepreneurship and Leadership Research was peer debriefed by five internationally known and well respected leadership scholars, who all offered their reviews and positive comments on the leadership research findings including: Dr. Kenneth Blanchard, Dr. John Kotter, Professor Jim Kouzes, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

This is a short two part biography of one of the principal participants who generously contributed their time and insight for this important leadership and entrepreneurship research into the phenomenon of how prominent successful entrepreneurs and leaders by overcome adversity and obstacles. Dr. Nido Qubein’s story starts off with him as just a poor immigrant with limited knowledge of English, no money, no education, and no contacts who then rose in spite of adversities and obstacles to the pinnacle of success in life and business:

This Part I of the two part article:
“Entrepreneurial Leadership & Personal Success in spite of Adversity: Dr. Nido Qubein”

Nido Qubein’s father died when he was a young child. His widow Mother raised Nido and his siblings alone. She instilled basic values and completely encouraged him to overcome the limitations, disadvantages, and adversities that he faced. Nido came to the United States as a teenager with little knowledge of English, no contacts, and only $50 in his pocket. Nido was blessed to have been the recipient of a college scholarship from an anonymous donor, which supplemented his work-study program.

Qubein has grown in knowledge of the English language, secured his U.S. college education, and worked hard to increase his business savvy. All of this enabled Nido to help start a bank in 1986 and today he serves on the board and executive committee of a Fortune 500 financial corporation with 100 billion-dollars in assets and 25,000 employees.

He has built upon his education, life and leadership experience, and acquired entrepreneurial expertise to the point where he has become the chairman of a national public relations company, chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company with 210 stores in 40 states, chairman of Business Life, Inc., and chairman of the Miss North Carolina USA program. Dr. Nido Qubein recently became president of High Point University, an accredited undergraduate and graduate institution with 3,000 students from 50 countries and 36 states. He serves on the boards of several national organizations including the YMCA of the USA which oversees 2,600 YMCA’s across the country.

Young immigrant, Nido was blessed to have been the recipient of a college scholarship from an anonymous donor, which supplemented his work-study program. Because he was so blessed he has chosen to given back and help young people get their education by the scholarships his foundation provided. His foundation provides scholarships to 48 deserving young people each year. To-date the Qubein Foundation has granted more than 600 scholarships, worth over three million dollars.

This is Part I of a two part article for SelfGrowth.com:
“Entrepreneurial Leadership & Personal Success in spite of Adversity: Dr. Nido Qubein”

Copyright 2005-2010 © Dr. Howard E. Haller

Dr. Howard E. Haller
Chief Enlightenment Officer
Intrapreneurship Institute

http://intrapreneurshipsuccess.blogspot.com
http://www.TheLeadershipSuccessInstitute.com
IntrapreneurshipDr@gmail.com