Photography by Emmett Martin

JOHN P. SCHREITMUELLER
Club: Buckhead Club, Atlanta.
Residence: Roswell, Georgia.
Title: CEO and president.
Company: Resolute Consulting Group LLC.
Occupation: Confidential adviser to CEOs, business owners, professionals, political leaders, and celebrities.
Web site: www.resoluteconsultinggroup.com

What is your definition of leadership?
Leadership is the art of causing others to produce positive results through authenticity, competence, and determination.

What is your definition of success?
Success is the achievement of authentic goals.

How do your personal values relate to your success?
They relate immensely. Personal values are key ingredients in assessment of an individual’s authentic self. I tend to realize my greatest achievements when I refuse to allow values I hold precious to be violated.

Given $5 million today to invest in business, how would you spend it?
We live in an era of inauthentic leadership. This is sapping the very core of our work/lives, and preventing organizations from attracting and retaining the talent they must have to compete. I would utilize the funds to expand Resolute Consulting Group’s abilities to assist organizations by helping them install authentic leaders.

How do you relieve the stress of business?
First and foremost, I am involved in a business from which I derive deep meaning. Although I work long hours, I feel I get to make a real difference in people’s lives … and that diminishes lots of stress factors. Additionally, because I am a business owner, the flexibility that goes along with entrepreneurship is a stress reliever for me.

What’s your best advice for staying organized?
There are two parts to my answer. First, have a system and stick to it. For example, I recently purchased a Blackberry, and I enjoy the scheduling conveniences it provides. Secondly, resist the temptation to over-schedule. Most American businesspeople live in chronic time poverty, a ridiculous condition we bring on ourselves by buying in to a bankrupt "make-the-quarter" mentality. Hard work that produces optimal results usually is not produced by people who work 15-hour days, six days a week. Although some professionals wear their killer schedules like medals on a uniform, there is no prize for dropping dead.

What’s your best advice for a 22-year-old?
Don’t waste time looking for "jobs" that do not parallel your own sense of authenticity. Connect your work with products, services, or causes that are truly meaningful to you, and become a master at networking that field.

My ultimate dream toy is …
A Gulfstream G500 business jet — arguably the finest business aircraft manufactured, an outstanding tool for connecting with clients globally, and a dream to fly. And, no, I don’t have one. Yet.

My favorite city to travel to is …
Sarasota, Florida. I have loved Sarasota since I was a child, and I love it still.

The first thing on my agenda when I retire is …
To me, "retiring" is an abstract concept. I look forward to arriving at some juncture in my life when I can write more often, fly more often, play polo more often, and perhaps teach at a good university. I intend to stay active in my field as long as I possibly can.