Sister Cities

Abrashoff: As a result of September 11, male leaders are going to start taking a stronger look at their lives as well as their leadership. We have already started asking, "What am I all about? What's really important in my life? Is it making $1 million or is it creating a legacy? Spending more time with my family? Participating in more community activities?" I think that you will see the model of male leadership change a lot in the months and years to come.

As leaders, how do you galvanize the team that may be put together by accident, or by some cutback, realignment, or reorganization?

Conley: When it comes to motivating individuals, you've got to look at the base level of survival: compensation. Money is recognition and meaning, but at the base level, it's the compensation package. If you don't get that right, everything else falls apart. In an environment where people are full of fear, you have to create a sense of security.

But as you move up the pyramid, it's about recognition. If you recognize your people well, they won't leave you. This is something most U.S. corporations don't get and most leaders forget. Every employee asks, "Why am I doing this job? What impact does it have on the world? What difference do I make? How is this company making the world a better place?" If you can motivate your people on the three levels: compensation, recognition, and meaning, you're going to keep people and you're going to keep people happy.

Silten: People say a team is a group of people who have been brought together by circumstance. Actually, it's not. A team is a group of people who share a common goal. So a leader must first connect with each team member and facilitate conversations and connections.

Leaders must also clearly explain who does what, and who's accountable for what. A lot of teams are weighed down by bickering and finger pointing. Everyone stands around looking at the crack that a goal or project fell through. That's how discord begins. But if you're really clear about accountability, you can start the team off functioning right.

Rubin: No matter the circumstances, a strong leader must have the courage to act on her beliefs. She must trust that little voice that pipes up at 2 AM and that, regardless of the headlines or the news reports, isn't swayed by anything. If you follow that voice, you will galvanize people around your vision of the future. It isn't about meetings or process or how much money you make. Leadership is about standing behind a vision and trusting the courage of your convictions when no one else will.

Why do only three of the world's Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs? Why aren't there more women at the top?

Biro: I find it shocking that female business-school enrollment is declining. I think women are deciding, either consciously or unconsciously, that they can't get there, so they're dropping out before it gets very, very hot in the kitchen. It's simply ridiculous that we have so few women leaders in this country. We should be ashamed of that.

The technology arena has been particularly egregious because it was supposed to be the great equalizer. We had a terrible talent drain. We were desperate for people. But very few women were applying for our jobs because they had been told all their lives that they weren't cut out to run technology companies, which is why there are no women in the industry.

Rubin: But as the number of women CEOs has stagnated, the number of women entrepreneurs has grown phenomenally, which suggests that women do want power, but they don't want to play the old-boys' game. They want to use their talents differently.

Schneider: Yes, but women don't want to be in the game because they feel that they can't win. That's really the issue.

Kathy Biro and Heidi Schneider

Biro: I think most women are uncomfortable with power. But there isn't anything wrong with wanting power. It's really Okay to be powerful and to be female. Women need to learn that it's Okay to want to be in charge, to set the agenda of these big corporations. I think women drop out because it's not fun, and because it is very, very hard to win against these guys. We are not trained to be assertive enough to win and when we are assertive, we feel masculine as opposed to successful corporate leaders. That's why it's a double-edged sword: You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.

To what do you attribute your success as a female leader?