Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/61375
then that's fine. Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor who has studied learning styles, tells us that not everyone learns the same way. There are people who can take quantitative information, digest it, and understand it. Others need con- versation; they need to see and experience new material in different ways. For those students, the Internet is not the total solution. Let's talk about your role as top executive. You've been a board member of Fortune 500 companies, and in St. Louis, you have been a campaign chairman of United Way, a member of Civic Progress, and director of the Arts and Education Council. Why do you think it's important for you or any CEO to be deeply involved with philanthropic and civic organizations in your city? The chief executive is in a position to lead and give voice to philanthropic ideas. Some executives take hold of this responsibility and, unfortunately, others do not. Artistic and educational organizations define the character and add tex- ture to a community. The quality of life in a society is deter- mined by the support we give our institutions. Without these organizations, the community would be greatly diminished. In 2003, you stepped down from the position of man- aging partner. What are your short-term goals? At the end of last year, I became a senior partner. I amspend- ing about four months in London to work with our U.K. people in the field.We have a bright young team in the U.K., but we have extensive turnover there.Oddly enough, we have about the same number of investment representatives in the U.K. as we did in the U.S. when I became managing partner in 1980. So I amworking there to help grow theU.K. office. I am also there to better understand the market that we serve and the challenges we face. I'mgoing to sharemy experiences in the field with the leadership in the U.K. and then come back to the U.S. and relate my findings. At the end of the day, how would you like to be remembered? Did you achieve the goals that you set for Edward Jones 20-plus years ago? I would like to be remembered as havingmade a contribution in an organization that gave our employees a sense of achieve- ment and pride, that helped our customers reach their finan- cial goals, that made a significant social impact, and that cre- ated a better quality of life for the community.s z Jonathan Schlereth is a free-lance writer based in St. Louis. BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2004 23