This groundbreaking leadership research by has received extensive endorsements and enthusiastic reviews from well-known prominent business, political, and academic leaders who either participated in the study or reviewed the research findings. You will discover the proven success habits and secrets of people who, in spite of difficult or life threatening challenges shaped their own destiny to become successful, effective leaders. The full results of this research will be presented in the upcoming book by Dr. Howard Edward Haller titled “Leadership: View from the Shoulders of Giants.”

The nine initial prominent successful leaders who overcame adversity that were interviewed included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Dr. John Malone, Larry Pino, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.

The data from the above nine research participants was materially augmented by seven other successful leaders who overcame adversity including: Jack Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, J. Terrence Lanni, Angelo Mozilo, Dr. Nido Qubein, and Dr. John Sperling.

Additionally, five internationally known and respected leadership scholars offered their reviews of the leadership research findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes, Dr. John Kotter, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.

This is a short biography of one of the principal participants who generously contributed their time and insight for this important research into the phenomenon of how prominent successful leaders overcome adversity and obstacles. This is Larry Pino's story:

Larry Pino “grew up moving every three years” because his “father was in the [U.S.] Air Force.” In 1973 he graduated from University of Notre Dame; he then received his J.D. from New York University Law School in 1976. After becoming a young lawyer, he “struggled to build his law practice for several years.”

Another adversity or challenge in his adult life “was the complete failure of my first and only campaign to run for political office”:

I probably could write the book on how not to run a successful campaign, because I made every mistake under the sun. During the course of that campaign, that if I had just simply stayed home and never met a soul, I would have gotten more votes than if I had actually actively campaigned, which I did, for four months.

He went further to say, “As a matter of fact, the write-in candidate would have done a better job than I did at getting votes out.” He “suffered a terrible loss beyond the defeat at the polls.”

Next, Pino “tried several business ventures.” One of the early businesses in which “I swung hard was when I created was a firm called ‘Crepes to Go.'” Of that venture, Pino said, “I probably made every mistake under the sun, and it turned out to be an absolute disaster, the only business that I ever really, just totally botched, from beginning to end.” Larry then added “Now, out of that emerged a mess, emerged lawsuits, emerged a failure,

I didn't declare bankruptcy, but I lost a ton of money, hard feelings, broken friendships, just a whole bunch of stuff.”

Larry “settled down to focus on building [his] law practice.” Once he “had accumulated some money practicing law and had been very successful selling other people's seminars,” Pino “started another business selling my own seminar, which unfortunately failed and wiped me out financially.” Out of desperation Pino “turned to the new format of ‘infomercials' as [his] primary advertising method.” Pino said, “This strategic change in marketing [or advertising] materially turned this business around, creating a profitable company.”

In 2002, Pino merged his American Cash Flow seminar business with several infomercial and seminar-related businesses to create Dynetech Corporation. He described, “The combined firm I bought had about $8 million in annual sales.” Pino, as Chairman and CEO, said in 2004, that he "had built Dynetech Corporation into a strong and vibrant enterprise development and management firm, which is a process provider, with over $175,000,000 in annual sales.” Dynetech continues to be successful and continuing to grow. Larry has successfully overcome various obstacles and “as an entrepreneur has started or managed more than 45 successful businesses.” In 2004, “Inc. magazine named his firm the 71st fastest growing privately held firm on their Inc. 500 list.” He is married to Janet Horvath-Pino and they have two sons and a young daughter.

Copyright 2006 ©

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.