If the people you lead are afraid to make mistakes you' ll never see their best work. Another completely unavoidable mistake was not having a cohesive, crisply articulated strategy. Transformational leadership capable of defining a compelling vision for the company on the one hand while also staying focused on each individual task is essential in organizations going through rapid change (Beugre, Acar, Braun, 2006). Mayer consistently rebuffs dissenting and/differing opinions and exhibits a close-mindedness that rarely serves a leader well. They tell stories to make an emotional connection with their audience. The latter decision drew strange looks from many working in Silicon Valley where telecommunting is the norm. Simon Khalaf, who joined Yahoo in July when it bought his mobile analytics company, Flurry, will oversee many of Yahoo's consumer-oriented products. Culture is often talked about but rarely understood. Ever wonder who got Google off the ground and into one of the most powerful companies in the world? Leadership starts at the top. Starboard has previously expressed that it would like to bring “significant changes” across the executive-leadership team, and doesn’t seem to support Mayer’s existing turnaround plan. It was obvious from the early days, at least to those paying attention, that Mayer didn't have the leadership chops to pull off the admittedly tough assignment of turning around the once iconic Yahoo brand. Lessons from Content Marketing World 2020; Oct. 28, 2020. The reality is that it takes no effort to cling to your current thinking; however to change your mind requires you to challenge your mind. 2020, https://www.paperdue.com/essay/mariss-meyer-leadership-effectiveness-191160. I actually don't fault Mayer for the Yahoo debacle as much as I do the Yahoo board for not recognizing what type of leader they needed for this assignment. By all accounts, culture at Yahoo is broken, if not altogether toxic under Mayer's stewardship. I don't begrudge anyone a fair wage, but as the highest paid female CEO at $42.1 million dollars, it's fair to question whether Mayer is worth the investment. Another leadership miss for Mayer - but for the people there is no platform. She could have mended fences rather than building walls. It's the glue that holds all businesses together. Bibliography Many leaders are very skilled at challenging the thoughts and opinions of others, but are woefully inept when it comes to challenging their own thinking. She has had trouble understanding there's a big difference between standing on conviction versus just wanting to win an argument. Just this week, Miguel Helft authored a meaty article chronicling Mayer's tenure at Yahoo. Attempting to keep layoffs secret. Here's the thing - not every talented, successful executive is CEO ready; Mayer is a textbook example of this. Leadership Lessons for Marissa Mayer 04/04/2013 10:07 am ET Updated Jun 04, 2013 FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, file photo, Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, listens during the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland. Carter, S.M., & Greer, C.R. Apparently in an attempt to avoid bad publicity, … Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Darling, J. Mayer would be well served to take the spotlight off herself, and shine it on those she leads. Many leaders are very skilled at challenging the thoughts and opinions of others, but are woefully inept when it comes to challenging their own thinking. (2013). It ends at the top. And if you consistently tell people they're not leaders, don't be surprised when they start to believe you. Mayer's leadership seems to be more about Mayer than those she is responsible for leading. Breathing life back into a company whose business model was built for an era that has long since passed is no easy task. There's an old Roman saying, "He who control the army wins" - Mayer lost this battle in the early days. From day one, Mayer could have talked less and listened more. Photo. Well, Marissa Mayer was crucial to that. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. If there's a silver lining here, it is this: it's never too late to lead better. Marissa Mayer has sat behind the wheel at Yahoo for nearly four years. The reality is that it takes no effort to cling to your current thinking; however to change your mind requires you to challenge your mind. I am a leadership advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs and Boards, author of "Hacking Leadership" and "Leadership Matters," the chairman at N2Growth, a member of the board of directors at the Gordian Institute and recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the top leadership thinkers globally. Being a CEO is tough, and no doubt, being a CEO leading a major business transformation is even tougher. With Starboard in the driver’s seat now, many speculate that Marissa Mayer’s days with CEO are numbered. Future tense: How the net ensures our cosmic survival. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(4), 375. I’ve believed for quite sometime the most profound and commonly overlooked aspect of learning is recognizing the necessity of unlearning. Her attention to detail and hard work earned her accolades and promotions. 5 Tragic Reasons why Marissa Mayer Failed. Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer: the Iron Lady. By Vindu Goel April 10, 2015 5:37 pm April 10, 2015 5:37 pm. Association for Computing Machinery. Helft was fair in his analysis, pointing out that anyone who assumed the helm at Yahoo had an almost impossible task in front of them. Copyright 2020  . And if you consistently tell people they're not leaders, don't be surprised when they start to believe you. Strategic leadership: Values, styles, and organizational performance. Mayer formerly served as the president and chief executive officer of Yahoo!, a position she held from July 2012.It was announced in January 2017 that she would step down from the company's board upon the sale of Yahoo! Former Yahoo Head of Talent blames Marissa Mayer’s ‘harmful autocratic approach’ for company’s decline April 21, 2017 Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, is responsible for the company’s poor employee engagement, according to the tech giant’s former European Head of Talent. There's much that can be learned about leadership in any real world case study, and the Mayer/Yahoo saga is no exception. By Chuck Salter 5 minute Read Blog. EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation With Forbes Insights, Miguel Helft authored a meaty article chronicling Mayer's tenure at Yahoo. If the people you lead are afraid to make mistakes. One of the first things a newly seated chief executive needs to tackle is building trust across all constituencies, but particularly with the workforce. External factors are … What she should have done was build alignment around a well conceived, collaborative effort based upon an a clear vision for the future. Marissa Mayer.