Five Lessons From Five Women

We are all a collection of our experiences and the older we get, the bigger our collection. It would be naïve to think that our successes occur without the influence of others. The past two years has been particularly challenging for me personally, but I have spent a successful career chasing adversity because as an engineer and systems architect, that is where the most interesting assignments are. As I continue to progress towards the next phase of my life, I have been thinking about writing a book or something but can’t really settle on the topic. In the meantime, I will jot down these thoughts as they pop up.

I have been very fortunate to have been exposed to some excellent women executives who have made an impact on my thinking as my own leadership skills have evolved. I don’t really know if they will ever read this or even agree that this is what they want to be remembered for but what the heck! I don’t work for them anymore so they can’t fire me!

Nancy Reese Martin - General Electric

My first job out of college was at General Electric in Syracuse, NY. It was an interesting time because like many kids straight out of college, we weren’t really adults yet. The management at the time was uniquely generational. They were the WW2 vets at the end of their careers. I guess a lot can be written about The Greatest Generation but these guys stormed the beaches of Normandy, jumped out of airplanes, fought in the Pacific Theater, literally. They were older than my dad and were very comfortable with their station in life and looked at societal changes differently. It wasn’t apathy or even contempt as some of today’s activists might conclude, perhaps it was simply, who gives a damn, I already saved the world so give me another beer! They could party, and drink and quite honestly, were not a very good influence on us kids. GE was an extension of the college days we so desperately wanted to enjoy and extend. Nancy Reese Martin was my age (late 20’s) and came along when Jack Welch was transforming GE. Workforce 2000 was just initiated and Nancy was promoted to be our Section Manager overseeing the Unit Managers. This was a discontinuity in the heretofore succession traditions of the culture, so I observed the organizational antibodies and would have guessed we were in for an epic showdown. But Nancy defeated the adversity with pure infectious leadership skills. She treated everyone as if they were important. She knew how to laugh and employ the silly things that easily created contrast which exposed what was most important. She was approachable, accessible, and rolled up her sleeves while never asking anyone to do anything she wasn’t willing to do herself. She challenged us and enjoyed losing when we beat her expectations. I learned a lot about how to deal with adversity in times of change. More importantly, I grew up a bit and realized that it was OK for our generation to lead. It prepared me well for my next adventure at Kodak.

Karel Czanderna – Eastman Kodak Company

One interesting point about my transition from GE to Kodak in the early 90s was that Kodak was a bit behind the curve when it came to managing diversity compared to GE. This is not a criticism of Kodak but the culture at Kodak was very academic where GE had transitioned to more of a meritocracy. People could simply move faster at GE. Honestly, Kodak didn’t really have to be a meritocracy (up until then) because they hired the best people from the best colleges and universities globally (A lot of companies say that but it is the only place I ever worked with Rhodes Scholars). Also, generations of families worked at Kodak so every person was a long term, career partner, on a curve. Karel was on the fast track and in addition to her enthusiastic leadership style, she had the academic chops to compete with anyone; a PhD in Engineering and Material Science. She was the Quality Director for Digital and Applied Imaging and I was a Supervisor. In our first meeting I was fascinated. She was a scientist and laid out formulas for leadership: Values, Mentoring, Business. AND THEY WORKED. She would not only say what is important, she would show you how to do it and then lead and coach you to success. Karel shared the expectations she had of herself to make me successful. She wanted me to hold her accountable and did it in a way that I was not intimidated to speak my mind. She showed vulnerability while having the confidence to know that it would ultimately strengthen her and me. I learned that show-how is way better than know-how and that when it comes to leadership, vulnerability is humanizing.

Marsh Lehman - Eastman Kodak Company

Probably of all the women I worked for over the years, Marsha had the shortest tenure but perhaps the most significant influence. It was around 1997 and Digital and Applied Imaging was struggling a bit. The company knew that it would eventually grow (and it did later when Willy Shih arrived; that is another chapter), but the debate of how much the company should invest in digital vs Film was still alive and well and a cause for great angst. Marsha came in as the head of Operations and I was a quality manager. She seemed unphased by the chaos that was above her with the corporate political debate and below her with the various startup digital business managers competing for attention to influence the limited resources. As Stewart Scott would say, “She was as cool as the other side of the pillow.” When the quality director for D&AI position opened in her organization, I didn’t feel I had a chance and as such didn’t pursue it. This was not the meritocracy of GE and there were more than a few long-time quality professionals waiting in the wings and anxious for a chance. Marsha asked me to interview and so I said yes. The process seemed normal and my expectations were low. About a week later, Marsha offered me the job. I was surprised to say the least. Then she said, “Kodak is in for a very difficult time and while you may not be the most experienced, you are the best equipped to handle the adversity”. Those words stuck with me and gave my confidence a huge boost. I learned to stay cool and give people you have confidence in, confidence.

Diane McCue – Eastman Kodak Company

In 2002, I moved to Kodak professional and was Hired by Diane to lead the Studio Solutions Business. Diane was our leader at a time when Professional film and paper started to fall off the cliff. I joined the Professional Staff from the digital group so the impact of how far or how fast things would fall was not as real to me as some who had been watching it happen for several years. Diane knew that there would be a lot of anxiety in the air everyday and she had this way of keeping everyone engaged and focused. (I am sure if she reads this, she will laugh when she sees the word focus). So how did she do it? She was proud to be a girl and she boldly admitted it. Now today, with all the labels and objectification that gets debated in daily life, perhaps that method isn’t the best. BUT it wasn’t in any sugar, and spice and everything nice sort of way, it was simply that she was able to project a larger than life example that it is OK to be yourself. Whoever you happen to be. It created one of the most diverse teams I ever worked on. Not just the visible dimensions but the not so visible dimensions as well. These were difficult times, but our team could focus on the work because we didn’t have to worry about any other factors. From Diane, I learned that you have to be you.

Karen Smith Bogart – Eastman Kodak Company

Karen was the President of Kodak Professional and one of the hardest working people I ever met. She was very business and success oriented and brutally honest. Honesty is the best policy but let’s face it, sometimes it forces you to hear things you don’t want to hear. Underneath it all, she had a genuine empathy and compassion such that the feedback never felt personal, it felt more like a masterclass in business and people skills. You felt like you were talking to a friend you could trust. This was also the most difficult time in the Kodak Transformation. Consumer Film was declining and there was a lot of executive political maneuvering in the works. When I first went to work in Karen’s organization, I was hellbent on extending my role as general manager of studio solutions to an operational role leading a business. Karen recognized that the skills I was developing as a general manager would be a disadvantage in the game of musical chairs about to commence compared to my previous accomplishments in R&D. Her fate was unclear (she ended up running Kodak China), but she made it a point to put her people in the right role at the right time ahead of herself. She placed me as the R&D Lead for consumer and professional imaging which eventually led to my role as CTO of Digital and Film Imaging and my most challenging role, the restructuring of Kodak R&D. From Karen, I learned that you need to put the best people where they are needed most, even if it breaks the plan.

So, I guess it is National Women’s Day or something like that 😉 … A chance to not just recognize women, but to say thank you as well! THANK YOU, LADIES!