Knowling attributes his success to his own genetic makeup. He simply doesn t back off from challenges. I ve been driven from an early age to not repeat some of the steps that I ve seen. I ve learned a lot of lessons from my mother in terms of perseverance - doing something about a problem instead of whining about a problem. And I ve always been somewhat challenged with every scenario where I ve been told that I couldn t do something.
Meeting challenges translates into a certain business toughness, as well.
Covad, for instance, is among the companies credited with pushing a favorable 1999 ruling from the Federal Communications Commission that allows competitive carriers to share lines with incumbent telephone companies to deliver services rather than having to buy costly stand-alone lines from the telcos. While he understands that his race will always be a footnote to who he is, Knowling says that mantle almost is too much of a burden to place on an African-American chief executive. While he understands he must be a role model to other African Americans, Knowling calls it a heavy tag to wear because being a role model invades a person s privacy and personal life. He is so protective of his family that he does not display their pictures in his office. The focus should be on his business ability just like with white CEOs, says Knowling, who supports affirmative action programs as a means of helping minorities make up for past and institutional discrimination in the workplace.