If you get inspiration by reading history and biographies, you will enjoy reading about the 40 enterprising women who helped shape the landscape of American business.

?At the opening of the 21st century, American women own more than 7.7 million firms and represent 40 percent of businesses operating in the United States. Enterprising Women tells the story of the women who paved the way for this success.?

A glimpse of Meg Whitman; President and CEO of E-bay from the website - Meg Whitman doesn’t dwell on male/female leadership differences. “Most of the successful women that I know do not spend a lot of time thinking about their role as a women leader. I wish I could tell you that I had some scientific basis for being a woman executive or managing men versus women and I don’t. You just sort of intuitively do it, and try to do the best job that you can do and learn from your past experiences.”

It has a great section on Mentoring.

Take your time, explore and get inspired!!

I wish we had such an extensive compilation of Asian business women.

“It is tough to go against the wave, but at least you reach where nobody else can.” Dr. Kiran Bedi

Before starting to write about her, I googled her name (the de rigueur) and was pleasantly surprised to see that she had a website. So I will not go into the details of her numerous awards, her career but try to share with you why I find her a remarkable leader.

Kiran Bedi stands out in her ability and conviction to do what is right and not succumb to pressure. Before International recognition and the awards,life as an officer in the Indian Police Service Officer (the first women to reach that position) certainly would not have been easy. Yet, she chose to make a difference and contribute to any job she was assigned and to whichever place she was posted. Be it in her early years as a Traffic Police Officer, when she earned the nick name ‘Crane Bedi’ for her liberal use of cranes to remove wrongly parked vehicles (including that of then prime Minister, Indira Gandhi). To take decisions that may go against the thinking of senior management is something that many of us contemplate in our jobs but hesitate for fear of repercussions.

Other qualities that make her stand out as a Remarkable Leader:

The Global Brand Forum is around the corner again (August 16 and 17, 2004 in Singapore) and brings another stellar line-up of speakers.

While the name would seem to indicate that the forum is about ?Building Global Brands?, there is an equal emphasis on Leadership with this year’s theme being ‘Redefining Leadership in Brands and Business’.

The forum, one of its kind in this region is doing a great job in bringing Leaders, the world’s brightest minds to share their thoughts and debate the future of global business. It offers local organizations an opportunity to expose their people to ‘cutting edge thinking’ and get new ideas on how to distinguish themselves from competition.

Warren Bennis; ranked as 13th most important Living Management Thinker in 2003 is one of the speakers and he will be speaking on ?Leading in an Age of Vulnerability-The Six Time Tested Competencies of Exemplary Leadership”

He believes that the key to an organization’s survival in the years ahead will be its capacity ?to create the social architecture capable of generating intellectual capital.? And it is leadership that will be ?the key to realizing the full potential of intellectual capital.

If you are holding a Leadership position or aspiring to make a mark as Great Leader, hear from the Great Guru in person. If you work in Singapore or in the Asia Pacific region?, try to be there.

Another great leader whom I admire, Dr. Kiran Bedi is also featured as a speaker. If at any time you feel that you are a ?victim of your circumstances?, read about her career, seek inspiration and learn how to ?expand your circle of influence?. I intend writing more about her in another post.

I am hoping to get a media pass to cover the event. In case I do, please stop by to read what is currently in the minds of these great speakers.

There are so many things
That you should know.
And that?s why I?m bothering
to tell you so.

-Oh Say Can You Say?

Young Cat! If you keep your eyes open enough,
Oh, the stuff you will learn!
The most wonderful stuff!

-I can read with My Eyes Shut!!

On Micromanagement

Oh, the jobs people work at!
Out West, near Hawtch-Hawtch,
There?s a Hawtch-Hawtcher Bee-Watcher.
His job is to watch..
is to keep both his eyes on the lazy town bee.
A bee that is watched will work harder, you see

Well, he watched and he watched, but in spite of his watch
The bee didn’t work any harder. Not mawtch.

And poor Mr. Potter,
t-crosser,
i-dotter.
He has to cross t’s
and he has to dot i’s
in an I-and-T factory
out in Van Nuys!

-Did I tell You How Lucky You are?

From Seuss-isms for Success

David Gurteen shares the results of a recent survey on email at the workplace. It offers interesting insights on the prevalent email culture at the workplace today.

The study is useful to HR practitioners who wish to understand how email is having an impact on work and as a source of stress.

Some findings:

You may download the survey results here. (Registration required)

Thanks David.

If you personally wish to do something about it, here are two books that I have found extremely useful:

Getting things done: mastering the art of stress-free productivity, David Allen.
He also looks at ?tackling the Inbox?. Check his website for more details.

An article by one of the coaches on Keeping your In-Box “Real”

Simplicity Survival Handbook, 32 Ways to Do Less and Accomplish More by Bill Jensen

Click Here to read a chapter on how to delete 75% of your emails (registration required)

Every time I visit David Gurteen?s Knowledge Management site , I leave with some thought or an idea. There is an abundant wealth of information and wisdom that he generously shares.

In one of his earlier newsletters I discovered The Visual Thesaurus .

If you love words, you?ll enjoy playing with this tool. Try it!!

The corporate world is beginning to realize the power of stories at the workplace. My first newsletter features storytelling and how it is being used to connect to people.

?Stories carry with them little worlds that make their know-how situational, allowing us to remember them easily and adapt them to new circumstances.?

John Seely Brown, former Chief Scientist of Xerox PARC

Dr. Roy Vegelos, then Chief Executive Officer, Merck and Company decided to ?give away Mectizan to all those who need it forever.? Merck had already invested 10 years and over $200 million dollars on a product that would help in treating ?River Blindness? in many parts of Africa.

River Blindness with no known cure was a dreaded disease few could escape from in many parts of Africa. In fact many villagers assumed that growing old meant growing blind. According to World Health Organization, about 85 million people were at risk in many developing nations.

In fact, about 10 years earlier, when approval was sought to investigate further for a cure for River Blindness, the committee under the chairmanship of Vagelos gave the go ahead knowing fully well that its 18 million patients could not afford the drug at any price. The research was possibly on the verge of a scientific breakthrough. If successful, the drug would give ?the gift of sight? to the millions.

However, Mectizan, the successfully tested product found no takers: no potential donors, no international development agencies, no private foundations. Nobody was willing to underwrite its production or distribution costs so that it could be made available to the millions who could not afford it.

It was then that Vagelos decided on ?giving away the product, forever.? He was aware that it set a precedent for future donations of medicines for diseases such as Malaria and guinea worms. He was also conscious of his responsibilities towards Merck?s shareholders. While taking such a decision, he not only, drew on his professional calling but also Merck?s culture that made health its first priority. George W. Merck, son of the company?s American founder and one time chairman had said ?We try not to forget that medicine is for the people.?

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• Deepa