Meet Howard Wellema: Leading With Character For Decades

I’ve spent more than three decades in leadership roles, and if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this: leadership is ultimately about people.

My career began right out of college with Nestlé, where I worked for 33 years across sales, corporate leadership, and large-scale operations. I led teams in the field, worked at headquarters, partnered across marketing, supply chain, and finance, and navigated the realities of performance pressure inside one of the world’s largest organizations. It was an incredible education, one that gave me a front-row seat to both great leadership and leadership that missed the mark.

When Nestlé relocated its U.S. headquarters from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., I made a decision rooted in family. Southern California is home. My kids, grandkids, and my mom are here. I took this moment of transition to pause, before stepping into a new chapter with  WhiteWater. 

Four years later, I’ve never looked back. 

Values alignment 

From my first conversation with WhiteWater founder Sean Ryan, I knew we were on the same page. Sean’s philosophy, that leaders must be high-performing and grounded in character, resonated deeply with me. I’ve always believed that results matter, but how you get them matters just as much.

Today, I primarily facilitate WhiteWater’s Just Lead program, and lead sessions on topics such as Courageous Communications and Negotiation. While the content is WhiteWater’s, I bring more than 30 years of lived leadership experience into every room. Participants often tell me they value real-world examples, stories of what worked, what didn’t, and what leadership actually looks like when things get messy.

A core of character

At the heart of every session is what we call the core of character, which includes caring, courage, integrity, trust, and transparency. These aren’t “soft” ideas. They’re foundational. I’ve seen firsthand how tough conversations go very differently when trust exists, and people know you genuinely care about them as humans, not just as employees.

I tell leaders all the time: you don’t need to have all the answers. If you don’t know something, say so, and commit to finding out. Authenticity builds credibility faster than perfection ever could.

Much of my work today is with leaders in industrial and manufacturing environments, places where top-down leadership used to be the norm. In every cohort, there’s a mix: leaders who are eager to grow and others who were told they needed to be there. My goal isn’t to convert everyone overnight. It’s to challenge them, so even the most skeptical leader walks away thinking, “I hadn’t considered that before.”

And more often than not, it works. I regularly hear from participants who admit they were doubtful at first, only to discover they’ve grown more in six months than they had in years. That’s the impact that keeps me energized.

Unlocking potential, providing stability

One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership is helping others realize what they’re capable of. Some of my own proudest moments came when I could promote a member of my team, or when someone said, “I never thought I could do this…and now I can.” Leadership is about unlocking that potential.

It’s also about being a stabilizing force during uncertainty. Change is constant. Markets shift. Technology accelerates. Teams look to their leaders not for all the answers, but for steadiness, honesty, and direction. Especially in times of disruption, leaders need to be closer to their people, not farther away.

I believe leadership is both innate and learned. Some people have a natural presence; others have to work to develop it over time. But no one becomes a great leader without learning to listen, coach, navigate conflict, and bring people through change. Those are skills that can be learned and practiced. 

At this stage of my career, I am incredibly fortunate to focus on what I care about most: helping leaders become better versions of themselves, both professionally and personally. That’s leadership done the right way, and it’s why I’m proud to be part of WhiteWater.

Howard Wellema