In his speech, "Exploiting Uncertainty -- Managing Through Flexibility," given on behalf of BusinessWeek's CEO Leadership Forums, Quigley stated that leading and developing people around a core set of values makes all the difference between success and failure during uncertain times.

"CEOs and other business leaders should create a strong, empowered team of leaders committed to a set of values and principles," said Quigley. At Deloitte, these principles include a commitment to serve the public interest, a passion for client service, and caring for and supporting our people."

He added, "These principles should also include doing the right thing, even when it is not the popular or easy thing to do."

Quigley noted that agility and adaptability are also important qualities for a business to have as it works to manage profitability during uncertain times, commenting that these attributes provide even large organizations an advantage.

Remarking on the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, Quigley said "public trust and confidence are moving in the right direction."