A sickly child becomes a world-class CEO.

At age eight, he had tuberculosis followed by meningitis and was sent for a year to a sanatorium. He suffered a great deal that year from being lonely and homesick, as his parents very rarely visited him. He still remembers the pain and fear of the lumbar punctures as the nurses held him down so that he would not move.

One day a new physician arrived and took time to explain each step of the procedure. Vasella asked the physician if he could hold the nurse's hand, rather than being held down. "The amazing thing is that this time the procedure didn't hurt. Afterward, he asked me, 'How was that?' I reached up and gave him a big hug." Vasella recalled, "These very human gestures of forgiveness, caring, and compassion made a deep impression on me and on the kind of person I wanted to become."

"As CEO, I have the leverage to impact the lives of many more people. I can do what I believe is right, based on my moral compass. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is what we do or omit to do for other people."