Andrea Jung's Leadership in Avon

Andrea Jung's Leadership in Avon

Running a business today is harder than ever before because of the speed and complexity of change in the so-called new economy. By "new

economy", it doesn't simply mean the high-tech sector or the dot-com bubble; the phrase has taken on a much wider meaning than that. It

refers to the new rules of competition and how they are affecting everyone, everywhere. As a matter of fact, the most intense effects of

the new economy are being felt in large, well-established, old-economy businesses, such as Avon.

To succeed in the new economy there are three questions every business leader must be able to answer.

1.         What is the environment in which our organization must compete and win? What are the underlying forces that are driving our

industry in the new economy? We need to understand the environment in which leaders must lead. Until we have achieved insights into these

shifts, we cannot answer the next question.

2.         What are those few things our organization must do outstandingly well to win and go on winning in this environment? Have the rules

of effective leadership changed in the new economy? What are the key things that leaders must do to drive success in their organizations?

3.         How will we mobilize our organization to implement these things faster and better than our competitors? Knowing what to do is

important, but that will never be enough to put you in front. To win, you must also know how to do it. You must be able to move beyond the

rhetoric and actually implement your strategy. As Henry Ford put it, "You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."

(Source: Willie Pietersen, Reinventing Strategy: Using Strategic Learning to Create and Sustain Breakthrough Performance, John Wiley &

Sons,