Lead ThySelf

The lady in the picture with Jack Ma is Tong Wenhong. She joined Alibaba 16 years ago as a receptionist. When Jack Ma was allocating company shares, he gave Tong 0.2% shares right saying it will worth 100 billion when Alibaba goes public into the market later. He asked her to just stay in the company, don’t change to other companies and she will get 100 million when Alibaba goes public.   Before Judy Tong Wenhong became Alibaba’s “most inspiring partner,” she served as the company’s receptionist, then customer service representative, and finally, an inexperienced vice president who did not back down in facing tough challenges.  Tong was 30 years old when she joined the Chinese e-commerce hub in 2000. Without any previous experience in the field, she applied for the post of administrative assistant in the company but did not pass the first interview, according to Women Of China.  When she attempted to apply again, she was eventually given a chance to w...

Jack Ma’s success can be deemed almost a fairytale. An idealistic rags to riches story for a person born in the downtrodden belly of the communist China with few opportunities knocking over his door. In the last 2 decades, only a handful of firms in Asia have managed to replicate the progress and success showed by Alibaba. This feat can largely be attributed to the efforts and leadership qualities of Mr. Jack Ma. Indeed it takes a rare person to accumulate a total net worth of over $20 billion while maintaining a sense of perspective, through a devoted work ethic. Jack Ma is one of those rarities. The IPO of Alibaba cemented its place in the market in 2014 as a giant in the business. To glean an idea about the position of Alibaba in the international markets, you should know that its market capitalization as of February 9 th  2018 reached over 453 Billion dollars on the New York Stock Exchange. In comparison, Walmart has a current market cap of just over 294 billion do...

An eagle’s egg was placed in the nest of a prairie chicken. The egg hatched, and the little eagle grew up thinking it was a prairie chicken.   The eagle did what the prairie chickens did. It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled. It never flew more than a few feet because that is what the prairie chickens did.  One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically in the open sky. He asked the prairie chickens: “What is that beautiful bird?”   The chickens replied. “That is an eagle. He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him because you are just a prairie chicken”.   So, the eagle never gave it a second thought, believing that to be the truth. He lived the life of and died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage because of his lack of vision. What a waste! He was born to win but was conditioned to lose.   Wherever you go in the world you will find one common reality, people are living according to...

It is important to remember that Sachin didn’t have to be the captain to be the most important cricketer of his generation, or one of the best paid ones. Unfortunately, the same logic often doesn’t work in companies. The CEO is typically paid disproportionately more than others, leading people to seek out the CEO’s job even if they don’t have what it takes to be a good CEO. He cautions that most companies make the same mistake at lower levels as well when they induce successful individual contributors to seek managerial roles. Sachin Tendulkar  has not been a failure as a leader during his captaincy as it is not the title that defines a leader. Tendulkar always stood for perseverance and hard work and is known for his humility and approachability. One of the biggest strengths of a leader is being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Tendulkar was aware that his contribution as a player was more important than being a captain and hence he stepped down and allowed someo...

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder and chief executive, is often quoted on the importance of having a more creative and forward-thinking workforce. In one of his best-known quotes, he says that it’s important to “move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.” The question is, how many leaders in big organizations will take that to heart? In 2013, Campbell Soup Co. launched its “Hack the Kitchen” contest to challenge innovative developers to create web or mobile apps for mealtime solutions. The winner, FoodMood, tapped into user’s emotions by asking “What’s your mood?” and the app then suggested recipes based on the user’s feelings and food preferences. FoodMood, developed by Pollinate Inc., received a $25,000 cash prize and a $25,000 contract to bring the idea to market. But perhaps more important, Campbell Soup – with more than 19,000 workers – decided that it wanted outside innovators to create new ideas. Campbell’s is not...