Leader Letter
By Linda Hatcher
“Doing the right things right” corporately is not just a nice slogan, but a matter of sheer survival. Large organizations are either a big part of the problem or part of the solution in figuring out ways to sustain our way of life; in fact, to sustain our VERY lives.
“Global warming is the most pressing environmental problem humankind has ever faced,” says Jonathan Lash of the green think-tank World Resources Institute. In a new article on corporate responsibility this month, Lash is also quoted lauding General Electric’s Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE, as one of the world’s most “visionary” leaders in the greening of the world’s largest companies. CLICK HERE to link to LEADER GUIDE MAGAZINE to read more about what GE and other companies are doing to address the sobering environmental challenges of which they play such a leading role in creating.
Also new this month is an article about the way leaders with the above referenced burdens manage to find a measure of stress respite during their days of crushing responsibilities and challenges. In the article “From the Top: How Top Executives Approach Work-Life Balance,” we detail specific tips on how leaders can better navigate the waters of corporate responsibility if they are personally balanced. CLICK HERE for the August 2007 LEADER GUIDE MAGAZINE.
LEADERSHIP ETC:
Defining Leadership: “If the people around you aren’t questioning you, and you’ve lost your capacity for self-criticism, an unconscious collusion begins to take place in which the blind lead the blind.” (Heifetz & Linsky, Leadership on the Line)
Inspiring Leadership Quote: “Not in time, place, or circumstances, but in the man lies success.”(Charles B. Rouss)
LEADER OF THE MONTH: Kenneth Chenault, American Express
Kenneth Irvine Chenault, the CEO and Chairman of American Express since 2001, is the third African-American CEO of a Fortune 500 company. He received a B.A. in history, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard. After working with the law firm Rogers & Wells in New York and as a consultant, he joined AMEX in 1981 as a strategic planner, becoming president and COO in 1997. Chenault currently Co-Chairman of the Business Roundtable. In 1995, Ebony listed him as one of 50 “living pioneers” in the African-American community. Described as quiet but tough and fair, Chenault had to lay off thousands of employees before and after September 11, when the devastating attack on the World Trade Center damaged the American Express headquarters. But the strength of Chenault and his leadership during the period of a weakening economy helped stabilize American Express. Ken radiates such a depth of belief that people would do anything for him, says Rochelle Lazarus, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Inc., the lead advertising agency for AmEx. "He is a true leader." Adds Amy DiGeso, a former AmEx executive who is chief executive of Mary Kay Inc. "I can say unequivocally that I admire Ken more than anyone else I have ever worked with.”
REFERENCES:
1) www.businessweek.com, 1998, Kenneth Chenault: The Rise of a Star
2) www.usatoday.com, 4/24/05, A CEO and a Gentleman
FEATURED LEADERSHOP PRODUCTS 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.
Copyright 2007 © Leadership Education and Development, Inc.
