Words of wisdom from Andrea Jung, Avon’s CEO

I had the privilege of sitting on a panel at NYU’s 18^th Annual Stern Women in Business Conference on Friday.  It was an inspiring day! Prospective students, current students, alumni and other professional women filled the crowd of over 300.  There were corporate professionals, non-profit professional, entrepreneurs – all learning and connecting with each other.

The very appropriate theme of this year’s conference was Adaptation: Creating Opportunity on a Changing Environment.  And the morning’s keynote speaker embodied the theme perfectly.

Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon stood out from the crowd of black, navy and tan suits in her signature pearls and red dress.  As CEO of Avon for the past 11 years, she is one of the most powerful and influential women in business. From the moment she stepped up to the podium and began speaking, her grace, humility and character had the audience captivated. Her words resonated with all of us and stayed with us throughout the day.  She shared her personal story and a few key lessons she learned from mentors and coaches throughout her career.

“Follow your compass, not your clock.”
Like many of us, Andrea Jung wants to make an impact with her work.  She shared how she had dreamed of joining the Peace Corp but did the “practical” thing and got a job out of college.  But that desire to make a difference and have meaningful and fulfilling work stuck with her until she found her way to Avon.

Not only is she able to put her business acumen and innovative marketing skills to work in reviving the image of “your grandma’s company,” but she is also able to stand behind an organization known for making an impact in the lives of women across the globe everyday.  Avon was one of the first, and still one of the few, companies that empower women to become entrepreneurs.  Women in all parts of the world are earning money for their families, learning computer skills (all of Avon’s ordering is now done online), and through their independence becoming role models for younger generations. Not to mention that Avon is almost as well known for its charitable work as it is for its products – who hasn’t heard of the Avon Walks for Breast Cancer?

Her choice to have meaning and find passion in her work was put to the test in 1997 when she was passed over for promotion to CEO.  Offers from other companies followed and she contemplated jumping ship.  An honest conversation with a mentor reminder her of her need and desire to have passion in her work.  Her mentor’s words, “Follow your compass, not your clock” helped her decide to stay on at Avon.  Passion in her work was more important that having a fancy title.  And that authentic and humble choice paid off. A short 20 months later, the job of CEO was hers.

“Fire yourself on Friday and rehire yourself on Monday.”
No matter what your role, there comes a moment in our careers when we need to look ourselves in the mirror and admit the path we’re on isn’t working and we need to change.  But as we know, its human nature to resist change and to shy away from admitting we’re wrong.  Jung faced this head-on at a critical moment in Avon’s history.  She had been CEO for almost 5 years and although the company was making significant strides in turning their image around, it needed to do more if it was going to succeed. Hesitant to admit the strategies she had implemented weren’t working as well as expected, she was stuck watching the company fall behind.

Finally, her executive coach did what not many were willing to do and challenged Jung to have new, fresh eyes for her business or move on.  He delivered the message in simple terms – ‘Fire yourself on Friday.  Go home and really think about what the business needs to succeed.  Hire yourself back on Monday in the new role as Turnaround Leader ready to make bold changes.’  And if she couldn’t do that, it was time to move on because she could no longer clearly separate herself from what the business needed to succeed.  Having new, fresh eyes allows us to clearly see what bold changes need to happen.

“Bloom where you are planted.”
Throughout our careers, even the best of us are plagued by a bout of impatience.  We want to move up the ladder quicker. We want to find the perfect role for us immediately. We want to make six (or seven) figures in our businesses.  And most often, that impatience serves us well in driving us to succeed. However, we sometimes need to be reminded that it takes courage and perseverance to “bloom where you are planted.”  This was a lesson Jung learned early on in her career.  She was a new grad from Princeton and desperately wanted to be doing important work. She was frustrated with the entry-level tasks her boss had her doing.  She even went home one day and declared to her parents that she was going to quit her job.  They reminded her of the need to start from the bottom and work your way up.  That its sometimes more courageous to persevere in your current situation.  And this lesson helped her build the foundation she needed for her later success.

What about these three lessons resonates with you?  What choices have you made at the defining moments of your career? What stories do you have to share?

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