Dr. Mark Whitacre - Redefining Success
Mark Whitacre, whose life was portrayed in the movie, The Informant, played by Matt Damon, was an FBI informant in one of the largest price-fixing scandals in US history. By age 25, he earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Cornell University. By age 32, he became the youngest Divisional President in the history of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). ADM was the 56th largest company on the Fortune 500 with over $70 billion in annual revenue and with over 32,000 employees. Mark was fourth in command. By age 35, he became a Corporate Vice President and an Officer of ADM. Wall Street analysts regularly touted him as ADM’s next president to succeed James Randall, 71, when he retired. In the movie, we learn about why he would jeopardize his promising career to become a mole for the FBI. By age 41, he went to prison until he was finally released by age 49. It was during this time that he found true freedom which gave him new insights about life. Today, the FBI publicly refers him as a national hero; while Mark insists that he isn’t the hero - his wife, Ginger, is!
In this intimate conversation with Mark, we will discuss how his obsession with success got him in trouble, how he found purpose in prison, and how his perspective on success, life, and business changed completely after prison. This conversation is relevant to many of us in science and engineering who are driven to succeed.
If you were given a second chance to live, what would you do with your life?
“A life of significance, of serving… is so much more important and so much more rewarding than a life of success.”
Redefining Success [Entire Conversation]
Highlights from the conversation:
Driven to success at an early age [4 min]
The void in his heart [2 min]
The way we define success isn’t working [2 min]
The first step down the wrong path [4 min]
How was he able to look in the mirror [1 min]
Ginger Whitacre helped Mark to see what he couldn’t [6 min]
Wow! The 8.5 years in prison was his greatest blessing [2 min]
Finding true purpose in prison [3 min]
Gaining a new perspective on life and business [2 min]
Servant leadership vs selfish leadership [1 min]
Building a purpose-driven company [1 min]
What would he tell the next Mark Whitacre [1 min]
The story of Mark and Ginger Whitacre is one of the most inspirational stories of our time!