Without giving in to depression, she underwent mastectomy and related treatment, conquered the Big C and went on to solve the financial difficulties of Auto Desk while maintaining negotiated quality time for her family. She has been a recipient of many awards and may get another top science post in the Bush administration.
So, just what is it about Carol Bartz that makes her ultimately a winner in the tough, men-dominated infotech industry? In her own 2002 inspirational article, Carol Bartz says that to sustain performance in good times or bad, she has found seven strategies that work for her.
Strategy #1: This Too Shall Pass. She says that everything runs in cycles. A down cycle will be followed by an up cycle, so it’s important to get ready for the future by communicating with customers and doing what you can to keep the people in your organization energized. Be positive and remember that the message is always "the glass is half-full, not half-empty.
Strategy #2: Follow Your Passion. She agrees with the German philosopher Hegel that nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion. She has always believed that passion for life and work is the engine that pulls everything else along, and her passion is leadership. The following three questions can help you determine your passion. What’s really important for you? What do you love to do? And what factors make your day great?
Strategy #3: Leaders Help People Succeed. Whatever your place in an organization or career, you can work on leadership. There’s a real distinction between leading and managing. The latter often ends up being the allocation of resources against tasks, but the former focuses on people. Her definition of a leader is someone who helps people succeed at what needs to be done and this includes motivation, guidance, congratulations, correction, empathy, etc. A good leader can spot what each person needs at a particular time to succeed. Instead of being bossy and perks-conscious, be a motivator and provide inspiration by deeds instead of sermons.
Strategy #4: Think of Business and Family as Two Agenda. Instead of worrying about possible conflicts between family and business, managed them as different agenda and stay engaged and flexible because unforeseen situations require priority readjustments. Negotiate for acceptable conditions instead of balancing between two unreasonable demands.
Strategy #5: Take Care of Yourself. This is not being selfish but practical. Airplane announcements for parents traveling with children is very apt here— "In the event of an emergency and oxygen masks deploy, put on your mask first and then help your child." If you’re not fully functional yourself, you can’t be effective for others. Take time, therefore, to make sure that you’re OK.
Strategy #6: Cast Thy Bread Upon the Waters and It Shall Return a Thousand-fold. She stresses the importance of giving back, of helping people and institutions for the good things that came your way because there will always be a high return in this, somehow. For her, one way to do this is to encourage math and science education for girls in middle school and high school. "Without math and science basics, a very big door to success in the 21st-century is closed and women are locked out."
Strategy #7: Be a Good Ancestor. It’s her main belief that "one of the most important parts of work and life is about leaving a legacy. One of the legacies that she wants to leave is that of being a good ancestor. "I want to leave my corner of the world a better place because I was here. Here’s a suggestion. In the next day or two, think about what your legacy will be. Write it down, describing your piece of history."
This last strategy is, of course, embedded in the minds of many Filipino politicians but their idea of what legacies to leave is in perpetuating their political dynasties and in unconscionably depleting the natural and financial resources of our country, not on what will make the Philippines a better place to live in.
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