Last Sunday’s New York Times had an interesting interview with John Donahoe, the new CEO of eBay. In it he talks about leadership (you can’t change someone – only help them help themselves), tough questions for job candidates (when have you failed and what did you learn), the importance of open, objective feedback (it’s okay to say thanks but no thanks) and the need at eBay for ‘agile development’.
He also referenced the following quote from John Gardner, which he keeps on a laminated card in his wallet, to remind him how to win in the right way.
“Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account.”
Pretty cool. Hope you and yours have a wonderful Easter! Cheers, Amelia
I think the current economic situation is highlighting companies’ and individuals’ commitments to their values. Already we’ve seen many organizations fail because they’ve taken risks outside their traditional levels because “the whole industry was doing it” or “we wanted to maximize shareholder value.” Their responses echo my teenage excuses to my parents (though I doubt I ever reasoned that I should break curfew because of shareholder value – though you never know…)
The point is that the quality of leadership is never truly shown until a time of crisis. Some leaders thrive and turn difficult situations into success (because they inspire trust, calm, and confidence); others fail in large part because of a lack of foundation onto which their subordinates can hold.