We have recently come under a new president of the company, or rather the part of the company I work for.

This newly-appointed president is someone I knew back in the day when we were both entry level employees. I knew him then to be fair, honest, and professional in all his dealings. I saw more than one occasion where he displayed the kind of ethical courage seldom seen in the corporate world.

Since that day he has risen to the higher rungs of the corporate ladder. Though I still hope that he will prove to be the fine leader he was before, I know that in reality a person seldom gets to the top without being ruthless; without compromising a lot and without being willing to sacrifice a lot. For some, it's his personal life; for another, it's his ethical sense of right and wrong; for a third, it may be his whole identity, his soul.

I sincerely hope that our new president has been able to weather both the temptations and the pressures and is still the fine man I once knew. Seeing him make it to the top gives me hope that a good man can keep his head and his heart and still succeed in business.

The next year or so will tell the tale.