Herbert Hainer CEO, Adidas AG AN ALL OR NOTHING character, Hainer worked in his family's butcher's shop when he first left university, and then launched his own bar while he chased his dream of becoming a professional footballer. When he realized he would not be able to follow his brother's success in the sport, he joined Procter & Gamble and threw his competitive spirit into raising their sales, before being headhunted to join Adidas. In Germany, where consensual, collaborative management is common, Hainer stood out as a decisive leader giving clear direction to staff and short shrift to "time-wasters." BIOGRAPHY Born in Dingolfing, Germany, in 1954. Hainer took a degree in business studies. LEADERSHIP STYLE Aggressive, focused, and demanding. Hainer's commitment to the cause is such that he switched his allegiance from 1860 Munich, the soccer team he supported as a boy, to their rivals Bayern, the team his LEARNING THE GAME Hainer is known for his sportsman's competitive instinct, and his devotion to the badge. When he joined the company in the late 1980s, Adidas was a struggling team that had lost the drive and direction of the founding Dassler family. Hainer could see that it had lost its luster. As a sales director, he was selling its sports bags, balls, tracksuits, and footwear before being given demanded better quality products, and cut production lead times to major sporting events. He made sure Adidas could cope with the surge in shirt demand that followed a series of wins by the German soccer team, and used offical tournament draws to heighten the promotion of match-specific balls. In 2005, he completed the purchase of Reebok, taking Adidas onto the same playing field as Nike for