What Do Jamie Dimon, Warren Buffett And Jensen Huang have In Common?

What separates a successful leader from one who builds an institution that thrives for decades? 

It may not be just intelligence, ambition or even strategy. It is the ability to build a culture where people, principles and performance reinforce one another.

Jamie Dimon of JPMorganChase, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway and Jensen Huang of Nvidia operate in very different businesses. Yet their leadership stories point toward a common theme: sustained success requires long-term thinking, disciplined execution, strong teams and the courage to keep reinventing an organisation.

Dimon has led JPMorganChase since 2006, Buffett headed Berkshire Hathaway for decades, and Huang has led Nvidia since founding it in 1993. Their journeys demonstrate how leadership is tested not just by what a company achieves, but by the systems and culture that sustain it.

Thinking Beyond The Next Quarter
In a world obsessed with quarterly results, great leaders understand the value of patience.

Warren Buffett built Berkshire Hathaway around disciplined capital allocation, trust and a remarkably decentralised management model. Rather than controlling every operational decision, he gave subsidiary leaders considerable autonomy while expecting integrity and accountability.

Jensen Huang offers a different example of long-term conviction. Nvidia’s early investment in graphics processing technology eventually helped position the company at the centre of accelerated computing and artificial intelligence. The payoff came from building capabilities over many years, not simply chasing the latest market trend.

The lesson is clear: “Leaders must balance immediate performance with investments whose greatest returns may take years to emerge.”

Build The Institution, Not Your Personal Brand
A leader’s true achievement is not how indispensable they become, but how strong the organisation becomes under their stewardship.

Jamie Dimon has repeatedly emphasised the importance of culture, candid communication, risk discipline and investment in people. JPMorganChase’s business principles place accountability, teamwork, integrity and long-term growth at the centre of its operating philosophy.

This is institution-building: ensuring that people understand what the organisation stands for, how decisions should be made and why certain standards cannot be compromised.

The principle also applies to J.P. Morgan, the financier whose name became associated with the institution’s long history. Building an enduring organisation requires more than financial strength; it requires confidence, sound judgement and a reputation that people are willing to trust.

The strongest leaders leave behind more than results. They leave behind institutions capable of creating results long after them.

Put People Before Personal Glory
Consider Tom Brady, one of American football’s most celebrated quarterbacks. 
In 2013, he agreed to a contract extension with the New England Patriots that helped create salary-cap room for the team to retain and recruit other players. Brady explained that winning was a central motivation in his decision-making.

His example illustrates an important distinction between individual excellence and collective success. A superstar can command attention, but a championship requires talent across the roster.

The same principle appears in business. A leader who takes every resource, credit and opportunity for themselves may weaken the very team responsible for performance. Leaders who recognise the contributions of others create the conditions for collective achievement.

This does not mean that people should always sacrifice their interests. It means understanding that individual success becomes more sustainable when the team has the resources and trust to succeed too.

The All Blacks: Character Is Part Of Performance
The New Zealand All Blacks offer one of the clearest examples of culture as a competitive advantage.

In James Kerr’s book Legacy, the team’s principles include “Sweep the Sheds”—never being too important to do the small things — and “Leave the jersey in a better place,” a reminder that every player is a temporary custodian of a much larger legacy. Another widely associated principle is “No Dickheads”: character matters alongside talent.

The point is not that skill is unimportant. At elite levels, skill is essential. But talent without humility, discipline and respect can damage team cohesion.

Toto Wolff has drawn on the All Blacks’ “No Dickheads” philosophy at Mercedes in Formula One. He has emphasised integrity, honesty, humility and the ability to work with others when selecting people for the team.

The message for business leaders is powerful: hire for capability, but never ignore character. One brilliant individual who undermines everyone else can cost an organisation more than their talent contributes.

Leadership Begins On The Front Line
Doug McMillon, who retired as Walmart’s CEO on 31 January 2026, began his career unloading trucks as an hourly associate in 1984. He rose through the organisation to lead the retail giant, bringing a frontline perspective to decisions about employees, customers and operations. John Furner succeeded him on 1 February 2026.

McMillon’s approach combined investment in employees with technological reinvention. His description of Walmart as “people-led, tech-powered” captured the idea that technology should strengthen the organisation’s ability to serve people, rather than become a substitute for understanding their needs.

Frank Blake’s leadership at Home Depot offers another useful example. As CEO from 2007 to 2014, he led the company through a turnaround after Bob Nardelli’s departure. His later podcast, Crazy Good Turns, celebrates people who do remarkable things for others — a reminder that leadership and service need not be opposing ideas.

The lesson is that leaders must stay connected to the people closest to the work. Frontline employees often see customer frustrations, operational bottlenecks and practical opportunities before senior management does.

Different Fields, One Enduring Principle
The same idea appears across sport and business. South African cricketer Brian McMillan was known as a versatile all-rounder, contributing with both bat and ball. His sporting example offers a simple reminder: teams need people who contribute in different ways, not merely individuals who excel in one visible role.

The best organisations similarly make room for different strengths. Some people create strategy; others execute it. Some innovate; others build the systems that make innovation repeatable. Leadership is about aligning these contributions around a shared purpose.

That is also why succession matters. An organisation cannot depend indefinitely on one personality. Its values, knowledge and decision-making capabilities must be developed across the next generation of leaders.

The lesson is not that every successful leader follows the same formula. It is that lasting performance rarely comes from strategy alone.

Jamie Dimon, Warren Buffett and Jensen Huang work in different industries, but their leadership journeys underline the importance of long-term thinking, disciplined decisions and organisational culture.

“Tom Brady” reminds us that the team must have room to win. The All Blacks and Toto Wolff demonstrate why character matters alongside talent. Doug McMillon and Frank Blake show the importance of people, service and staying connected to the work.

“Build the culture. Invest n people. Protect the standards. Think beyond yourself.”
Because the ultimate measure of leadership is not simply how far a leader takes an organisation while in charge.

It is how well the organisation can continue to thrive when the leader is no longer in the room.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication.