This article studies the relations between the social management of development, the performance of civil society organizations and their leaders' profile. For that purpose two interviews using oral history technique were carried out with two CEOs who founded their respective well-reputed organizations in the Brazilian city of Salvador. The following issues guided the qualitative study: To what extent did CEO's life history contribute to the present status of the organization? In what sense is his life history tied with the history of the organization? What turned him into a social manager, and, more particularly, what led him to found the organization? What are the expectations concerning the future of the organization? Conclusions point out that organizations and their managers are intimately imbricated, and that the success of organizations reflects the successful life history of their leaders.
social management; profiles; leadership
