Leader Letter
By Linda M. Hatcher
July 2007’s Theme is “Life Balance”
As you take…or don’t take…your vacation this summer, use this time of year to consider your approach to work-life balance. (Think especially hard if you DON’T take your vacation days!) Two new articles in the Leader Guide Magazine this month highlight issues on this critical topic. In Tips for Work-Life Balance for Leaders, we look at the bigger picture. In Mr. Manske’s article entitled The Effective Leader Sets the Example for Others to Follow” he presents more approaches for how you can set an example worth emulating by your personnel.
LEADERSHIP ETC…..
Defining Leadership……..”The best leaders are those who can inspire others to reach for something greater than themselves.”–Stan Toler
Inspiring Leadership Quote..…….”It’s about not sweating the little things–that’s how I can cope.”–Tina Markley, AOL Senior Vice President
LEADER OF THE MONTH, JULY 2007 — Meg Whitman, CEO of Ebay
Meg Whitman is the top leader of a company whose main bosses are most assuredly the customers….the millions of individuals who buy and sell their wares on www.ebay.com.
Whitman has been described as having a “gentle grip on power” and has frequently made the top 25 lists of major leaders. Meg Whitman leads by not leading, bosses by not bossing, and manages by not managing,” said USA Today writer William Meyers in a 2005 interview with the leader of the $4 billion business. Not only has Whitman led an exponential increase of revenue (from around $5.7 million in 1998 when she took the helm), but she has also defined ethical, effective leadership for the company. (1)
Whitman has a simple (not easy) set of leadership guidelines in leading eBay:
1) Leadership should be by “span of influence,” not “span of control”
2) Whitman operates from the deeply-held belief that most people are basically good and leaders need to trust them to do a good job
"It is different from traditional command and control leadership," says Whitman. "At eBay, it is a collaborative network," she adds. "You are truly in partnership with the community of users. The key is connecting employees and customers in two-way communication. We call it "The Power of All of Us." (1)
REFERENCES: 1) Meyers, William, Keeping a Gentle , US News & World Report, 10/31/05
FEATURED LEADERSHOP ITEMS OF THE MONTH
SUBLIMATED PLAQUE WITH CLOCK…..a lovely way to remind any leader the most critical component of reaching goals: time properly used.
OUR CLASSIC LEADERSHIP DUO: Secrets of Effective Leadership and Spirit of Leadership, books that will help you stay focused on the proper ethical principles to achieve your goals.
