PEOPLE 08 INVEST IN PEOPLE, INVEST IN SUCCESS LEADERS OF TOMORROW  INTERNATIONAL PAPER The most important investment a company makes is in its people. People devise strategies and execute  decisions. People inspire, they form teams, collaborate, and support each other. Most important, they work  with customers to better understand their business, their needs, and how they can help them succeed. At International Paper, our people lead. Of our 58,000 employees, International Paper has  more than 5,000 leaders—first line leaders, plant man- agers, managers in sales, process improvement,  safety, human resources, manufacturing, customer  service, IT, and senior leadership. Leadership at  International Paper is expected every day, at every  level of the organization. Leadership, however, is not  just about a position—it is an attitude and responsibil- ity we expect all of our employees to embody. Our  simple and powerful model of leadership is called— The IP Way. Every person at IP is granted a “license to lead.” They  are free to take intelligent initiative to engage others in  achieving the best results. This means empowering  people to take on more responsibility and make deci- sions that help IP win in a highly competitive global  business environment. We also believe great leadership grows with increased  knowledge, skill and experience. This is why we  value—and are immensely proud of—the breadth and  tenure of our leadership team. In our executive management team alone, we have an aggregate of 