Knocking CEOs off their pedestals
Hi again, readers!
A couple weeks ago, between keeping my newly formed company afloat under the economic collapse of COVID-19 and apartment hunting in a surgical mask, I came across a New York Times Magazine story calling out the CEO of women’s co-working space The Wing. As a woman and the founder of a company, it made me think about what types of leadership merit scrutiny.
Part of why I formed Lioness is because of a deep belief that the bad behavior of people in positions of power -- men or women -- should be called out. The media is one of the few means we have of exposing power abuses in the face of a David vs. Goliath legal system. I have seen firsthand the hidden misconduct that can take place at the hands of CEOs with seemingly unlimited power and money -- a workplace cocktail that doesn’t always encourage people to be their best selves.
The difficult personal experiences I had in the workplace were all at the hands of men in positions of power. Like The Wing’s CEO Audrey Gelman, one of these CEOs was the subject of a profile in New York Times Magazine. Unlike Gelman, he came across exceedingly well. Reading about her in the same publication made me think about why his flaws as a leader, which were well-known by any who worked with him, didn’t make it to any reporter’s desk.
Part of the reason, it seems to me, is related to power. People were afraid to piss off my former boss. He had endless connections to money, investors, and influence. Though they would privately complain about the ways he devalued and diminished people, they were afraid of losing him as a contact.
This is not to say that men don’t get pinned to the wall for acting like jerks. But what I have noticed is that even when a male founder is called out for inappropriate conduct, the repercussions are much different. When Elon Musk acts like an idiot, it becomes a quirk of his persona. Many of us, even women, have been conditioned to expect a certain “masculine” leadership style from men.
Beyond that, only 2.8 percent of venture funding went to women in 2019. It’s no wonder Gelman stood out as a target. This is not to say that Gelman did not have flaws and blind spots which took a toll on employees and needed to be corrected. Nor is it to say that racist or poor treatment is not a serious issue to be exposed, especially at a company that touts empowerment and inclusion. But I do wonder whether a male CEO would ever be derided for his attempts at making his business profitable through corporate partnerships. Underlying this kind of mockery lays a certain kind of bias - that women don’t belong at the top. That men are more deserving of making money, and for a woman to do it is unseemly.
Lioness is the second company I have started. Founding a company is complicated and difficult, and reveals to you many of your own weaknesses and insecurities. Like the CEO of The Wing, I am young and have a lot to learn.
But what I have learned about being a leader so far, both from experience and from watching the CEOs I worked for who were feared, idolized and worshipped all at once and often fell gravely short, is that there is a culture around business leaders -- especially venture capital infused startup leaders -- that puts them on a pedestal. This preconception leads to unhealthy CEO worship, which is bad for everyone, including the CEO.
When problems arise, this kind of idealization can quickly turn to scorn in unique ways for women. Perhaps because we’re used to seeing women in leadership positions less frequently, the bar for takedowns is a lot lower than it is for men in the same positions, doing the same things or worse.
It can be easy for leaders, male or female, to slip into scapegoating, to resort to blame, to not take into account all the factors that contributed to something going wrong. The thought of losing investor money, prestige, or one’s reputation is terrifying and gives rise to extreme reactions. But admitting failure isn’t the end of the world. Nor is dealing with an employee’s failure. There are ways to be regenerative and creatively solve problems without resorting to disrespect or abuse.
At the end of the day, having worked under leaders who got things wrong gave me one thing: examples of the kind of leader I don’t want to be.
To me, one indicator of a good leader is that each person who works under them feels valued and respected, no matter their position. I also think it’s important for a leader to not oversimplify problems or ignore issues that come to light, even if those issues make them uncomfortable.
Last but not least, what I’ve learned most from my time on both sides of the equation -- as female founder and employee -- is that there are deep power imbalances in our society and culture, and they need correction.
I am committed to working to change that balance with you all. Do you have a story about leadership you’d like to tell us, good or bad? Reply to this email and we’ll be in touch.
In other news…
These reporters’ call for stories caught our eye on Twitter. As always, reply to this email if you have a story and want help connecting to the reporter, or you can submit directly to the reporter’s email!
What we’re reading this week:
After laying off most of their staff to cope with the economic downturn, Portland bookstore Powell Books announced they are rehiring 100 people to deal with a surge in demand from online book orders!
Whole Foods employees staged a “sick in” yesterday, where they demanded additional hazard pay and paid sick leave from parent company Amazon. The workers are backed up by 15 state Attorneys General, who asked Amazon to broaden its paid sick leave policy to encompass anyone who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, tested or not, and anyone who is caring for a COVID-19 patient.
In case any of us experienced sleepless nights over his well-being — mega-billionaire David Geffen assured us over Instagram that he is surviving the pandemic by self-isolating on his super-yacht in the Grenadines. We were so worried!
Until next week!
~Ariella and the team from Lioness