Two Entrepreneurial Titans – Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick

 Compare and contrast three (3) aspects of both Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick as managers and as leaders.
1.	Leadership Skills
In the field of entrepreneurship, we clearly understand the pressure posed by women on men in business. In a clear need to gain a full understanding of rise on women in business, consider studying the lives of Mary Kay Ash and Anita Riddick. For instance; Mary Kay Ash was a successful salesperson in Dallas. Her leadership skills are evident before quitting her job where a man she had personally trained was promoted above her and even received twice her salary. This clearly indicate the degree of mentorship she could offer (Ash, 2008).  Anita Roddick on the other hand is famous partly in the fact that she discovered and established an iconic and very successful British brand in the 21st century; this was amazingly prosperous because she only began with a tiny shop in Brighton. Her inspiration in leadership and an impact in altruistic approach on entrepreneurship left her customers, society and employees very appreciative having her as their leader. 
2.	Attitude
As an entrepreneur, having a relentless passion to solving a problem is a threshold to attitude in business. Mary Kay Ash greatest achievement is having a success power strategy to overturn the notion and mentality that women doesn’t belong a business competitive world. Way back in the 1960s, Mary had turned up the table making it clear that women can also be above men. A company’s sales force was entirely formed of women; whereby Mary’s company was in the lead with sales force made of women; this initiated more women to come into the lucrative positions in sales in all fields of industries. Whichever way you look at it; take a look at Anita Roddick; She remains as one of the most innovative and influential British business leader and she is consider a first slot in new Human Insight blog series over the years that’s “Women in Leadership.” All the two entrepreneurs strive to solve a problem having an attitude that business challenges have to be there and they have to be solve. Gender inequality problem in business was a very big problem to solve and with Mary and Anita, all doors to ‘women in business’ are opened. 
3.	Intelligence
Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick helped to popularize the utility of lavish incentive which the invented to retain and recruit more worker into their businesses. Starting in 1969, the Ash’s company’s top representatives were awarded for performance with the Cadillac which were painted pink; which was the same color on entrepreneur’s brand. Lately, nearly 10,000 of the company’s top reps drive pink Cadillac. According to Anita, great business really mattered; she was connected to many things which have never been heard in mainstream; investing testing on animals, the ozone layer and damage of rainforests and many others. With this knowledge, a real sense of revolution and transition, the Body shop was invited. In the internet world, Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick had powerful brand of environmentally aware consumerism. 


My Opinion
Anita Roddick, 
She is known to be a very great leader even in the today’ field of entrepreneurship; she was a true pioneer and major trade communist. In 1990s and 2000s, she over expanded her company and in the entire market. 
Question #2: Analyze the significance of Ash and Roddick’s achievements on women leadership during their respective eras. Next, give your opinion as to what you believe were each woman’s greatest accomplishments. Justify your response.
Mary Kay Ash and Anita Roddick establish a theme that women can also be considered in the society. After, the two entrepreneurs decide to pull them out from their initial job environment; success haunted them and opened doors for other women to venture into business hence gender equality was established. 
My Opinion
Mary Kay Ash
Mary Kay Ash’s greatest accomplishment was getting out the notion that women are weak and can’t do as men in business. She was ahead of time and strived to venture in business being able to lead and offer business solution to other women holding them on the same desk with well-established entrepreneurs. 
Anita Roddick
In reference to Roddick (1991), her greatest achievement was being a great transformational leader up to date. She was a true entrepreneur and pioneer of social responsibility, community building in the global business environment and fair trading. 
Question #3: Analyze the following quote from Mary Kay Ash and suggest three (3) ways it is relevant to a successful business: "People are definitely a company's greatest asset. It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps." Provide support for your response.
1.	Empower your employees to satisfy your customers. 
The front line employees in a company take care of the customers; the employees take mandate and authority to make everything go right in the business and render the business to prosperity and problem counterpart (Sinha, 2015). 
2.	Be open to employee feedback. 
Every business owner has to seek ways to encourage the employees to an aim to communicate with the business. With employees in business, it’s to seek feedback on manners to improve ways on how to improve business operations, how to achieve strategic business objective and satisfaction of customers. 
3.	Cross train your employees to do a variety of jobs. 
It’s very important to train employees and makes the employees render marketable. People are there to train and avoid them get bored and offer them proper job security. Good training of employees makes the business to enhance more flexibility and offering the employees job positions and self-image. 
Question #4: Evaluate the importance of one (1) of the following quotes from Anita Roddick, and speculate about two (2) lessons managers can learn from it:
“For me, campaigning and good business is also about putting forward solutions, not just opposing destructive practices or human rights abuses."
It’s evident that campaign and good business may never be conceived without research; the perception of any business and brand’s position in the market can be modified. This is possible to delineate the marketing strategy and plans and not trying to defend instances of human rights abuse. Anita executive campaigns is relevant for emulation to many leaders who desire to popularize their business (Shashank, 2015). 
Lessons Learnt
-	How to render business survival: In business, all managers dream big and want their companies to be the best over its competitors. Making these dreams a reality is a first step when venturing into business. From Anita’s point of view, managers have to know if their company will be able to offer the required revenue and be able to pay all its bills. 
-	Making profit out of your business: Managers have to consider that successful business is not only aimed at making money but trying and focusing to be a force for good in any business they are in. Anita cite emphasis on companies to support the communities and societies around them to offer effective service. 
-	Learnt by Implementation: Anita view on campaign to leaders initiate more inspiration in obtaining new ideas; moreover, no strategic plan will be fostered until the campaign mandate and the business ideas are implemented. The quote supplement the knowledge and guidance of leadership skills and managers can apply to understand and retain the strategic plans of the business. 
Question #5: Examine both Ash’s and Roddick’s leadership styles. Next, select either Ash or Roddick, and specify whether or not you would emulate her style if you were in her position. Provide a rationale for your response.
Transactional Leadership: Anita Roddick use this style to initiate team members obey their leaders in an aim to accept their jobs; it also involves paying team members for efforts implemented.
Charismatic leadership: Here, leaders use a system of inspiration to inspire and motivate team members. This is used by Mary Kay Ash in keeping employees.
My leadership style: I would use a Transactional leadership style since leadership hierarchy and obedience will enhance business etiquette and ‘business is business’ meaning. 

References
Ash, Mary Kay and Yvonne Pendleton. The Mary Kay Way. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Print.
Ash, Mary Kay. Mary Kay. 1st ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1981. Print.
Hattwick, Richard E. "Mary Kay Ash". Journal of Behavioral Economics 16.4 (1987): 61-70. Web.
Roddick, Anita. Body And Soul. 1st ed. New York: Crown, 1991. Print.
Sinha, Shashank S. and Michael W. Cullen. "Mentorship, Leadership, And Teamwork". Journal of the American College of Cardiology 66.9 (2015): 1079-1082. Web.


 


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