Gerard J. Arpey, AMR

????對航空公司來說，宣布破產(chǎn)已經(jīng)變成一種行規(guī)。通過破產(chǎn)，航空公司就能和工會重新談判，并砍掉多余成本。但當(dāng)美利堅航空公司（AMR）——美國航空公司（American Airlines）的母公司——在2011年準(zhǔn)備遞交破產(chǎn)申請時，最大的反對者竟是首席執(zhí)行官兼董事長杰勒德?阿佩。不支持這一決定的原因是，他從來不信奉逃離承諾（比如給工人支付養(yǎng)老金）以安撫投資者那一套。

????破產(chǎn)決定數(shù)月前，在接受戈登學(xué)院（Gordon College）院長D?邁克爾?林賽為《紐約時報》(The New York Times)進(jìn)行的采訪時，阿佩說：“我堅信，盡自己最大努力來信守承諾，關(guān)乎這家公司的品格及其長遠(yuǎn)成功。無論是在公司層面還是個人層面，認(rèn)為自己能隨隨便便擺脫現(xiàn)實、放棄責(zé)任都不是什么好想法。”

????盡管董事會執(zhí)意要他留任，阿佩還是辭了職，讓富有破產(chǎn)處理經(jīng)驗的人來接手。目前他已加入私募投資公司Emerald Creek集團(tuán)。

????比爾?蓋茨，微軟公司

????Declarations of bankruptcy have become an industry norm for airlines. By doing so, an airline can re-negotiate with unions and rid itself of unwanted costs. But in 2011, when AMR Corp.—parent of American Airlines—prepared to file its papers, the biggest opponent of the move was CEO and Chairman Gerard J. Arpey. He didn’t support the decision because he didn’t believe in walking away from commitments, like pensions, to appease investors.

????“I believe it’s important to the character of the company and its ultimate long-term success to do your very best to honor those commitments,” Arpey told D. Michael Lindsay, the president of Gordon College, writing for The New York Times months before the bankruptcy decision. “It is not good thinking—either at the corporate level or at the personal level—to believe you can simply walk away from your circumstances.”

????Arpey quit to let someone with experience handling bankruptcies to take over, despite the board’s request that he stay. He now works in private equity at the Emerald Creek Group.

????Bill Gates, Microsoft

????當(dāng)你已是全球頂級富翁時，要從自己一手創(chuàng)辦的公司辭職可能會比較容易。但是，沒有幾個超級富豪級的首席執(zhí)行官能像比爾?蓋茨那樣，在離職后又成為慈善事業(yè)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。

????2008年，蓋茨宣布他將不再參與微軟公司（Microsoft）的日常運(yùn)營（2000年他就辭去首席執(zhí)行官一職，但2008年前仍作為首席軟件架構(gòu)師，參與公司日常戰(zhàn)略的制定工作），轉(zhuǎn)而將更多時間投入到比爾和梅林達(dá)?蓋茨基金會（Bill and

????Melinda Gates Foundation）。直至2014年年底，他仍將留任微軟董事長一職。

????與此同時，蓋茨一直致力于讓全球各地的患者能更方便地獲得小兒麻痹癥和瘧疾疫苗，并通過一個總額達(dá)4千萬美元的農(nóng)業(yè)科研項目來改善全球性饑荒問題。他甚至簽署了沃倫?巴菲特的“捐款誓言”（Giving Pledge），承諾過世后將自己的絕大部分財富捐給慈善事業(yè)。

????蓋茨并沒有回避爭議性主題。他正加倍致力于美國教育體系的改革，大力推廣共同核心標(biāo)準(zhǔn)（Common Core standards），這一標(biāo)準(zhǔn)將為美國所有學(xué)生提供統(tǒng)一的課程指南。43個州和哥倫比亞特區(qū)已經(jīng)采取了這一標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。不過對此一直不乏批評之聲，認(rèn)為這些標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的成果有限。但它仍是美國歷史上最大規(guī)模的教育改革之一。

????It may be easier to quit the company you founded when you’re one of the wealthiest men in the world. But few uber-rich CEOs have taken the lead in philanthropic causes like Bill Gates.

????In 2008, Gates announced that he would step away from the day-to-day operations at Microsoft MSFT 1.81% (he resigned as CEO in 2000, but remained an integral part of the daily strategy at Microsoft as chief software architect until 2008) to devote more time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He remained Microsoft’s chairman through 2014.

????Meanwhile, Gates has led initiatives to increase the availability of the polio and malaria vaccine across the world, improve world hunger through a $40 million agriculture research program. He even signed on to Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge, committing a majority of his fortune to charity once he passes away.

????Gates hasn’t avoided controversial topics. He stepped up efforts to reform the U.S. educational system, trumpeting the Common Core standards, which provide uniform curriculum guidelines for all American students. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards. But critics have circled, arguing the rules have produced limited results. Still, it represents one of the largest education reforms in U.S. history.