One of my favorite Builders is Sergio Marchionne — the legendary executive who transformed Fiat, Chrysler, and Ferrari from a collection of struggling assets into more than €100 billion in value and counting. But what always fascinated me most about Sergio was not only what he built, but how he built it.
In this essay, I reflect on personal encounters, investor meetings, and the defining moments of Sergio’s career to explore the psychology behind his leadership: his ability to connect with people, confront adversity, balance competing dualities, and translate hard financial reality into emotional conviction. To me, Sergio was more than a CEO. He was a survivor, a truth-teller, and one of the clearest examples of what it means to be a Builder.