It’s next to impossible to ascend the corporate ladder if you can’t inspire colleagues and direct reports to champion your vision, which is why managers aren’t necessarily good leaders.
Managers organize, plan, and control tasks to ensure efficiency and meet specific objectives. A leader, on the other hand, energizes and motivates others, setting a vision and empowering employees to achieve long-term goals through influence and collaboration.
In a newly published feature for Fortune’s forthcoming Most Powerful Women issue, I profiled Jotaka Eaddy, the founder of Win With Black Women, a potent under-the-radar network of influential Black female leaders pulling strings in American public life and business.
The group meets every Sunday on Zoom, a weekly occurrence that began in August 2020. In the four years since, Eaddy has galvanized thousands of Black women—and, more recently, their allies—to support several causes of importance to them, including the nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, economist Lisa Cook to the Federal Reserve Board, the return of WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison, and, now, the placement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the Oval Office.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and several chief executives, such as the Dallas Mavericks’ Cynt Marshall, have dropped in on Eaddy’s Zoom calls to mobilize around a chosen issue that they find most pressing at the time.
Unlike the private sector, these women don’t have a financial carrot stick (that is, pay) to incentivize them to support said mission. As such, there are several leadership takeaways that translate to the workplace. Here are three:
1. Developing a shared mission is hugely important because it creates alignment at scale.
2. A clear vision motivates employees, fosters a sense of purpose, and encourages workers to contribute to a leader’s success and the organization more broadly.
3. Finally, an overarching and clearly articulated goal breeds unity. It also enhances decision-making, as teams are better able to prioritize tasks that align with the organization’s overall objectives.
Ruth Umoh
ruth.umoh@fortune.com
Today’s newsletter was curated by Natalie McCormick.
Word on the street
Fortune writer, Natalie McCormick here. Last week, I attended Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, where CEOs and founders discussed how they stay ahead and the future of their industry. Here’s what a few had to say:
On changing your mind as a leader. “Reserve the right to get smart. These are businesses—these are not religions. You really need to recognize that things change, and you need to change with them.” —Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix.
On tech’s shelf life. “There's no God-given right for companies to exist forever. They should really exist if they're doing things that are meaningful and socially useful.” —Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.
On putting your best foot forward. “I always want to inspire my team, and we move together as one...I love being challenged. It makes you a stronger person, and I like to compete with myself.” —Pat McGrath, CEO of Pat McGrath Labs.
Smarter in seconds
Take a hike. Justworks’ leadership training sends employees to the wilderness for a week
Slice of life. PepsiCo North America CEO makes a color-coded pie chart of his waking hours to help him lead $27 billion beverage division
Suit up. Ken Ohashi: From bankruptcy to billion-dollar boom at Brooks Brothers
Counting sheep. Melinda French Gates rips into the praise for sleepless CEOs as ‘so dumb’
News to know
Nike has a new CEO, and he climbed his way from an apparel sales representative intern to the corner office over three decades. Fortune
Apollo Global Management has offered to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Intel just days after Qualcomm reportedly approached the chipmaker about a potential takeover deal. Bloomberg, WSJ
Nearly 80% of CEOs say their hybrid employees will return to the office full-time by 2027, according to a new KPMG survey.
Elon Musk's X is seemingly standing down in a face-off with the Brazilian court. Fortune
Five years after leaving Apple, the iPhone designer Jony Ive is building an empire of his own. NYT
Rank risers
A round-up of who’s scored a C-suite title.
Eli Lilly appointed veteran Lucas Montarce its CFO effective immediately. Target named former PepsiCo executive Jim Lee its new CFO.
New to the corner office: Raymond Chun will succeed Bharat Masrani as TD Bank’s CEO, starting April 10, 2025. Chun was most recently its group head of Canadian personal banking
