THE TAKEAWAY: NACDS' Steve Anderson reflects on life, leadership and where he finds inspiration for both

Before you got into the association management business, you worked in government and even ran for Congress in 1980. What led you to politics, and what are one or two of the most important things that experience taught you?

I was 27 years old when I ran for Congress, so I was in my formative years. I learned that I could compete with anyone, despite my blue-collar background. However, I realized I don’t have all of the answers, and probably never will.

Before NACDS, you led the National Restaurant Association and spent 20 years with the American Frozen Food Institute before that. … How did those experiences help shape your leadership style?

In my 36 years of association work, 27 of them as a CEO, I’ve learned that I’m only one part of a diverse orchestra. It’s my job to get everyone who has something to offer to play off the same sheet of music and in harmony with great effectiveness.

You’re a fan and student of history. What do you like most about history? What is your favorite chapter in history? Why?

I’m writing a manuscript, maybe a book, about my ancestors, who I have traced back to the Battle of Brissarthe in 866 in the Frankish Kingdom. I’ve traced my direct descendants back to 1066, when they came to England from Normandy with William the Conqueror, to the first boat that arrived in the Province of Maryland, where they established a new colony in 1634 under Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore.

In your career, who was your most important mentor? What was the most important thing you learned from them?

My most important mentors in my career have been Congressman John B. Anderson, R-Ill., no relation, who brought me to Washington, D.C., and Tom House, CEO of the American Frozen Food Institute, who gave me my first association job and my first CEO position.

If you could be anywhere other than where you are right now, where would you be?

In my youth I studied piano for 10 years and voice for eight years. I would like to perform in any musical written by Stephen Sondheim, my favorite and the greatest composer in music theatre, starting with “Company,” “Follies,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Sunday in the Park with George.”

Where do you find inspiration in life?

I love to volunteer in leadership positions at colleges and universities where I have a family connection. I’m inspired by these students, who are competitive, ambitious, kind, smart and have a wonderful sense of awe and naiveté.

What are you most grateful for in life?

I’m most grateful for my family and my health. I’m amazed at my two millennial sons, Brandon and Britton, and what they have accomplished and what they will accomplish in the future.

Who was your first hero growing up? Why?

My first heroes were my parents. My dad had a high school education and worked his entire life in a factory. He supplemented his income by being a custodian. My mother had a college degree, plus a nursing degree. I learned how to work hard, have a healthy ambition and never forget where you come from.