Ford beats Wall Street estimates on $100 million first quarter profits? It's true, and solid proof of the value of strong performance abroad. Less welcome news, at least to the daughter of Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, was Arby's announced $2.34 billion buyout of the fast-food chain. If Thomas were alive today, "he would not be amused," she said.

Also in Camp Surprise: what does it take to launch an investment bank in this credit-throttled market? Moxie, madness, or the Midas touch? No, just the surname Moelis, and a set of model leadership qualities right for any enterprise.

Profiled in the current issue of one of Corporate Leader's high-powered brother magazines, Dealmaker, Ken Moelis is a man on a mission. A 27-year veteran of the Street, he forged his shop-mettle as a leveraged-finance star at now-demised junk-bond powerhouse Drexel Burnham and a restructuring guru at now-merged investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette before building UBS's American investment-banking division from scratch.

Moelis operates from a platinum set of attributes. From his hard-marching early days: a scrapper, a juggler, a thinker, ambitious, aggressive, daring. Moving up the ladder: unafraid of unconventional, against the grain moves, a masterful networker, a king of leverage. And above all: always both good and lucky, with an exquisite sense of timing. Frustrated by UBS bureaucracy, it was time to create his own brand, which brings us to the present day.

Forget about launch worries. Yet a year old, Moelis & Co. already ranks ninth in global M&A advisory--and his growing team of true believers is only too happy to drink the Moelis Kool-Aid. His is a corporate culture built on work ethic--he's in the office at 5 a.m.--and concepts more typical of a tech start-up than an I-bank: entrepreneurial joie de vivre, hustle, creativity--and hold your hat--fun.

Grade on this leadership test: A+.

Jeff Heilman

4/24/08