Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick as Entrepreneurs Essay

Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick as managers and as leaders – a comparison

Both Ash and Roddick are good managers. Both are highly motivated and have a strong desire for excellence. Even though Ash ventures into the business after as a result of losing her job, she becomes successful in building a global business empire. Equally, Roddick sees her husband’s long absence as an opportunity to provide for the family. She ventures into business and becomes successful. As a manager, Ash is more flexible and willing to accept change than Roddick. Ash embraces technology and allows her sales force to sell goods online as a way of improving sales (Clegg et al., 2011). Roddick, on the other hand, is slow in embracing change. She does not use the internet for marketing her products. As a result, she is overtaken by her competitors.

Ash is more focused and strategic oriented than Roddick. Ash invests in the growth and sustainability of her business by creating career opportunities for women, diversifying her product offering, and investing heavily in her employees’ motivation (Zimmerer, 2005). As a result of this, the business is still surviving long after her death. Roddick, on the other hand, is mission-oriented and does not implement any strategy towards her businesses’ growth and sustainability (Knights & Willmott, 2012). Eventually, her business is bought out shortly after her death. Ash is a risk taker because she invests in a business that is completely unknown to her. Roddick, on the other hand, is risk-averse and conservative because she settles for what she is familiar with.

As leaders, both Ash and Roddick have a strong personality and a strong determination. They both enter into business with a strong will to succeed, and they do. This implies that they are ambitious (Clegg et al., 2011). Ash’s business model is based on economic empowerment and personal fulfillment, while Roddick’s business model is based on self-sustenance and a strong passion for activism. Ash is inspired to venture into business because of a strong desire for more income, being an own boss, overcoming corporate politics, and creating opportunities for others. Roddick, on the other hand, is inspired into business by her desire for self-sustenance and activist reasons. Both are visionary leaders because they start and profitably run their businesses (Sandberg, 2013).

Implications of Ash and Roddick’s achievements about women generally

Women have the ability, determination, and skills to succeed in their endeavors. They are going getters, results-oriented, and strong achievers. The achievements of both Ash and Roddick demonstrate that not only can women take up leadership roles in society, but they can also excel as business executives (Barsh et al., 2011). Their success also demonstrates that women are not brought down by negative forces. Ash is sacked, but that does not bring her down. Instead, she takes her sacking as a springboard to venture into business success. Likewise, Roddick takes her husbands’ absence as an opportunity to venture into business. This implies that, generally, women can seize and turn opportunities into successful business ventures (Sandberg, 2013).

The relevance of employees to the success of a business

Employees are the most important organizational resources and a unique source of competitive advantage (Conaty & Charan, 2011). Businesses must, therefore, recruit and select the right employees. Managers should strive to align the skills of their employees with the strategic objectives of the business. Employees must be appropriately trained, adequately compensated, and be well motivated. The business must implement sound performance appraisal systems to monitor employees’ performance, provide opportunities for employees’ growth, and minimize employee turnover (Myers et al., 2011). Eventually, the only business that succeeds is the one with a well-developed and motivated workforce.

Lessons managers can learn from Roddick’s quote

It is possible to transform passions and ambitions into business ventures that add value to society. Based on her strong conviction against the use of animals as genie pigs, Roddick starts a business. Roddick is propelled by the desire for ethical and fair business practices. Therefore, she ventures into business to provide an alternative way of doing things (Sandberg, 2013). Through her business, she aims at eliminating bureaucracies and treating individuals fairly. Her business is inspired by strong activism for animal rights, environmental conservation, belief against war, and advocacy for human rights. For her, providing alternative solutions is the best way of demonstrating to society the right way of doing things as opposed to merely campaigning against social malpractices.

Recommendations I would give Ash and Roddick on business matters

Because today’s business environment is very dynamic and highly competitive, there is a need for businesses to focus strongly on their employees. Businesses should motivate and empower their employees for them to give their maximum productivity (Stewart & Brown, 2012). Business leaders must leverage technology to achieve a competitive edge and diversify their products and markets to increase their chances of survival. With the benefits of globalization and e-business, organizations must today look beyond their geographical confines and instead seek to offer their products in the international market. Equally, managers must be prepared to embrace change and operate in a diverse environment characterized by different cultures. Finally, since today there is a strong emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR), businesses must invest in community projects as a way of giving back to society. In other words, businesses must realize that they have an obligation over and above their economic objective of profit-making (Zimmerer, 2005).

References

Barsh, J., Cranston, S., & Lewis, G. (2011). How remarkable women lead: The breakthrough model for work and life. New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group.

Clegg, S., Kornberger, M., & Pitsis, T. (2011). Managing and organisations: An introduction to theory and practice (3rd ed.). London: Sage.

Conaty, B., & Charan, R. (2011). The talent masters: Why smart leaders put people before numbers. New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group.

Knights, D., & Willmott, H., (2012). Introducing organisational behaviour and management (2nd ed.). London: Thompson Learning.

Myers, D., Mahannah, K., & Prentice, T. (2011). Contemporary management practices. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. New York, NY: Knopf.

Stewart, G. L., & Brown, K. G. (2012). Human resource management (2nd ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Zimmerer, T. (2005). Essentials of entrepreneurship and small business management. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.