christopherhildreth

Since 1998, Meg Whitman has been at the helm of eBay as CEO. In her early days as CEO of the company, Meg stated that a CEO should not serve for longer than 10 years. With her own 10th anniversary coming up, people are wondering what she will do. Speculation serves no ones interest, but contemplation does.

The fascinating idea of a CEO only needing to serve for 10 years is something that deserves much more space than I can give it, but I can offer a few ideas.

One: Setting a timetable for ones leaving gives a sense of urgency to unfulfilled desires and obligations to be performed before leaving. The result would be increased focus and, understandably, increased results.

Two: Knowing when you will vacate a position, puts you in a marvelous spot for having time to find a replacement and allows for the company itself to not miss a beat recovering from a surprise exit and subsequent shell-shock.

Three: Perhaps the greatest aspect of having a path set for going off the company stage is that you as CEO can actually enjoy your position. You are not trying to “hold on” to power. You and everyone else knows when you will be going and  so the temperature on the corporate side should be relatively cooler than if no one knew.

Some things to ponder and think about while we all wait and see what Meg will actually do.

Here is the second in a short list of people who are doing things that are bringing success to their companies and pushing design and innovation further. Thom Browne is a Guest Designer for the clothing classic, Brooks Brothers. His take on what he can bring to the company, I think, mirrors the attitude that we should have in all of our endeavours in life – be them business, personal or spiritual.

He says, “I signed on to do four seasons, but it is important to do something that isn’t going to just be around for a couple of years, then gone. I want to establish something that can live on past my involvement in it.”

This should be the cry of all who consider influence an important aspect in working and relating to others. The influence that we want is not a flash in the pan act. It has to resonate far beyond an individual occasion or action. Influence has to continue beyond our individual involvement and toward the establishment of a mark that is made and lasts.

With all of the political talk going around, it is impossible not perceive someone as the underdog. Americans love the underdog. Maybe because as a country we were an underdog in taking on the British, maybe it’s because many who came to this country during the first floods of immigration were, in their own countries, underdogs. Whatever the case, nothing gets our emotions going more than to have a public race that includes an underdog.

The interesting thing is that a person or cause can move from front-runner status to become an underdog almost overnight. With the flood of instant information and blogs going straight to your in-box, your opinion can change about a candidate or issue rather quickly. Such it has been in the Democratic race for the nomination. Both candidates have tasted the cool wind of the front-runner and the bitter dust of the underdog.

Considering the race is nowhere near over it will be a sure bet that roles will change. When the nominations are set in several months the roles will begin again adding John McCain to the roll call.

What can we learn from this? I think we can settle in the fact that in out lives we may face being an underdog at times, but the wave of popularity will come round again and we will find ourselves afloat, at the front of the pack. Never underestimate the underdog, but don’t despair if it happens to be you.