Dubbed by Fortune magazine as the “un-CEO,” Lafley says he believes this title “was probably right.”

“I am not by any stretch of the imagination, the celebrity CEO and I am not interested in being the celebrity CEO. I am serving my stakeholders: consumers, customers, shareholders, employees,” he said. “That has worked for me and that’s the way I like it.”

When recalling his experience at HBS, Lafley says he prefers to remember his achievements as part of a team.

Lafley specifically remembers his sports days. While he says he was “not a great player” he competed on the football and basketball teams.

“We played all the sports together and we, the section B football team, beat a Harvard undergraduate team in the championship,” he recalled.

As a student, Lafley says he frequently found himself in embarrassing situations. In one particular instance, he says he was left stuttering when called on to answer a difficult question during his second semester at HBS.

“I was not prepared. I fumbled my way through the basic background of the case and hoped my professor would move on to the next person and that one of my fellow classmates would raise their hand,” he said.

Despite what he calls his occasional shortcomings as a student, Lafley says his Harvard background served him well when he ventured into the world of business.

“I went to Harvard because I believe and still believe it is the best for operating managers and general managers,” he says.

—Staff writer Faryl W. Ury can be reached at ury@fas.harvard.edu