Is a Digitally Connected World a Better Place? | Vital Speeches

Dan comments on the the plusses and minuses of a digitally connected world in this address, originally appearing in Vital Speeches. Published June 2015.

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We are living at a time when technology is changing the world at a pace never before experienced in human history. Of all technological advances, in my view, the one that is changing the life we share on this planet the most, whether one lives in a G8 country or in the developing world, is the mobile Internet.

These dramatic changes bring with them many plusses, but also some negatives and risks. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quote, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed
ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function” is perhaps a good theme for this talk.

I’m not claiming to have a first rate mind, but I have learned a bit about telecommunications during a 37-year career in the industry. Will Rogers said it well, “Everybody is ignorant, only
in different subjects,” and perhaps this could apply here as this is one of the few subjects I don’t feel ignorant about.

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Corporate Social Responsibility Difference Maker of the Year Awarded by Urban League of KC | KCTV5

Article recapping the Corporate Social Social Responsibility Difference Maker of the Year Award appearrf on KCTV5.com. Published December 2011.

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The Urban League of Kansas City honored KCTV's news director, an H&R Block founder and Sprint's chief executive officer Thursday with the organization's highest honor.

Under Hesse's leadership, Sprint employees work tirelessly to give to the community and promote green efforts.

Hesse said he and other Sprint executives take seriously their role as community leaders.

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IBM, HP, Sprint retain top spots in Newsweek Green Rankings | GreenBiz.com

This article documenting the eco-friendly efforts of Sprint eco-friendly efforts of Sprint under Dan Hesse's leadership originally appeared in GreenBiz.com. Published October 2012.

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In the race to become the world’s greenest company, Team Finance and Team Technology have taken the lead.

So say the results of Newsweek’s fourth-annual Green Rankings released this morning, which ranked IBM as the top environmental performer out of the 500 largest publicly traded U.S. companies for the second year in a row, and fourth-best company globally.

Hewlett-Packard and Sprint Nextel maintained their #2 and #3 rankings, respectively, as compared to the 2011 results.

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How Fortune 500 CEOs Can Drive Corporate Responsibility | Forbes

Dan Hesse was presented with the lifetime achievement award by Publisher of Corporate Responsibility Magazine in November 2013. Robert Reiss conducted the following interview with Dan Hesse to discuss the role of CEOs in solving the world's most pressing issues. 

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What is it about Fortune 500 CEOs that uniquely positions them to impact some of the world’s most pressing problems?

Dan Hesse: Because of the great divide between America’s political parties, plus global political differences, governments are less effective at solving problems, so the mantle of leadership is being passed to the leaders of the largest companies.  Fortune 500 CEO’s effect the lives and livelihoods of millions – customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders.  Values-based business leadership has never been more important to solving the country’s and the world’s problems.

What is the relationship between corporate responsibility and building a great organization with strong financial performance?

Dan Hesse: Corporate responsibility has become an important foundation in building Sprint’s culture.  It helps us attract and retain great talent because it’s a common cause and belief system that motivates us all to perform.  Many CR initiatives also reduce costs in areas like the usage of energy, water, or paper, thereby improving financial performance.

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Steering Sprint's Turnaround | Wireless Week

Dan Hesse's leadership was recognized at the Wireless Week 2012 Leadership Awards. Details of the recognition follow. Published May 2012.

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Four years and several ups and downs later, Hesse's efforts to revive Sprint are starting to bear fruit.  

"I told you on my first call that our turnaround would be difficult and not quick," Hesse said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call in February. "Although we're far from finished, our progress, nevertheless, has been very significant."  

Under Hesse's leadership, the company launched unlimited data plans, forged a WiMAX alliance with Clearwire, bought Virgin Mobile USA, got the all-important iPhone and began the laborious process of phasing out its iDEN network and moving toward LTE. 

Hesse’s reign also has been characterized by a number of out-of-the-box initiatives, such as signing up to be the launch partner for Google Wallet, outsourcing management of its network to Ericsson and embarking on a company-wide environmental push ranging from energy-efficient facilities to handset recycling.

Along with those initiatives came much-needed improvements in customer growth, sales and consumer perception of the Sprint brand. 

Sprint's net adds during the last three months of 2011 were its best in six years, its customer base reached an all-time high of 55 million and its postpaid net adds marked a 10th consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement.  

"Our top line is growing again," Hesse said. "Our customer experience has gone from the worst to arguably the best in the industry, and our once battered brand is strengthening and gaining momentum." 

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Inaugural L. Joseph Thomas Leadership Award | Johnson School of Management

Dan Hesse received the inaugural L. Joseph Thomas Leadership Award in January 2012 and spoke on the subject of Evolving Role of America’s Business Leaders at the ceremony. 

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In recent years, wireless technology has become the most rapidly adopted technology in history. “It has been growing faster than TVs, PCs, and automobiles combined,” Hess said. A recent survey suggests that four out of 10 students on college campuses cannot go more than 10 minutes without checking one of their wireless devices. “In my day, we couldn’t go more than 10 minutes without checking out a member of the opposite sex,” Hesse joked.

Despite the rapid growth of the industry, Hesse explained that American business in general has been in trouble over the past few years. “In my view, principal business leaders will need to build our nation's leadership back up from the mess left by the lack of political leadership from our increasingly ineffective two-party political system,” Hesse said. “The imperative for corporate social responsibility by America’s business leaders to build our country’s leadership back up has never been greater.”

According to Hesse, one of the main problems with the American economy is the changing attitude towards capitalism. “Mitt Romney’s business background should be an asset, but instead, it’s a political liability,” he said.

Another issue, he believes, is that the nation is losing interest in the future. “I was talking to the CEO of a major corporation just last week, and he said that investors would prefer a higher profit next quarter even if it meant killing his business over the long term,” Hesse said. What’s even worse, he said, is that this is a widely held sentiment.

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10 Inspirational Leaders Who Turned Around Their Companies | Entrepreneur

Article originally appeared in Entrepreneur online. Article reviews the inspirational stories of 10 CEOs who revitalized their companies. Published February 2013. 

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When Dan Hesse took over the role of Sprint's CEO in 2007, the company was in a freefall, reporting losses of $29.6 billion after a merger with Nextel Communications. Hesse implemented Sprint's new "Simply Everything" rate plan in 2008.

In 2008, Sprint lost 5.1 million subscribers and wireless revenue fell by $3.1 billion, but the company, which had been last in customer satisfaction surveys, was scoring higher on its customer service ratings. In 2009, Sprint acquired Virgin Mobile USA and moved into the prepaid market. By 2010, Sprint had returned to positive subscriber growth for the first time in three years. Hesse continues to serve as CEO. In 2012, Sprint reported revenue of $35.3 billion, an increase over 2011's revenue of $33.7 billion.

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Boys and Girls Club Great Futures Award | BGCA

Honor originally posted to homepage of Boys and Girls Club of America. Published October 2013. 

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America is pleased to present Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Corporation, with the Great Futures Award. This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to the youth of this country.

Hesse joins a list of distinguished leaders previously honored, such as Craig Omtvedt, Edward and Diane Zore, and Thomas Flanagan. A premier event in Chicago, the Chairman’s Dinner has also featured many special guests including President Bill Clinton, Regis Philbin, and Major League Baseball Commissioner, Bud Selig.

Hesse has served as a Governor for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and continues to work to provide a bright future for children and teens.

With a goal to provide every young person with a cyber safe future, Sprint supports BGCA’s media safety initiative providing tools and resources to educate parents, guardians, educators and youth on important issues like cyberbullying, social networking, online privacy and mobile safety. BGCA’s cybersafefutures.org, along with Sprint’s online safety resource 4NetSafety, aims to raise awareness around potential cyber safety issues while giving adults and youth the resources they need to have a fun, positive experience online.

Dan Hesse is a Top Rated CEO on Glassdoor | Glassdoor

Article originally appeared on TelecomRamblings.com as part of the review of Glassdoor's Highest Rated CEOs 2015. Published March 26, 2014.

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Sprint employees have spoken, and Dan Hesse is among the leaders on Glassdoor’s 2014 list of the Highest Rated CEOs at large companies.

He is the only CEO of a telecommunications company to be recognized this year.

“We find on Glassdoor that a strong leader is often one who has the ability to clearly communicate the vision for the company and who helps employees see how their work connects to the big picture,” said Robert Hohman, CEO and co-founder of Glassdoor, a popular online career community.

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