Cathy Linder chuckles that she started her career in marketing and delightingconsumers at age 10 in her parents’ retail clothing business in Charleston, W.Va. Herfirst job was “Bow Machine Operator” (in those days, gift package bows were hand-made from a ribbon spool contraption) for which she earned 50 cents per day andlunch on the weekends! She eventually graduated to the selling floor, but not untilproving her worth at every step. That early grounding in the value of unrewarded hardwork and mastering tactical lessons on how to win customer loyalty have served herthroughout her career.
In her current position as Director of Marketing Research at Tempur-Pedic, Cathybrings a background in brand management and marketing research from a variety ofcompanies and categories; including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, JamesRiver/Georgia Pacific and Union Carbide as well as marketing research consultingpositions with Groups Plus, Inc. and Marketing Corporation of America. She holds aM.B.A. in Marketing from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in Management &Sociology from Simmons College.
At Tempur-Pedic, she is engaged in all areas of global marketing research thatleverage the voice of the consumer into technology innovation, product development,brand communications, retail and web selling strategies and consumer trend andtracking analytics. She is facilitating new ways to apply consumer research methodsand disciplines to the growth and expansion of Tempur-Pedic’s primary product lines– mattresses and pillows – driving toward a deeper understanding of the beddingconsumer and what delivers their sustainable satisfaction and loyalty.
Cathy’s non-professional interests include keeping pace with her three collegeand post-college “Millennial” sons, film and musical theatre, travel and gardening. Shehas held executive Board positions with the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk (CT),Norwalk Community and Technical College, Columbia Alumni Network, Sayre School(KY) and a variety of school and church volunteer leadership positions. She lives withher husband, Rolf, in Lexington, Ky.
Cathy LinderDirector, Marketing ResearchTempur-Pedic International
1713 Jaggie Fox WayLexington, KY 40511office: 859.259.0754
2011 WithIt Professional Conference 2125 Eastchester Drive Suite 103 • High Point, NC 27265 • 336.882.9372 • www.withit.org
ProfilesinLeadership
CathyLinderDirector,Marke3ngResearchTempur‐PedicNorthAmerica
Will:InspireYou!
Won’t:LectureYou!
Leadershipiseasiertoexercisethanyouthink.It’smostlyanaHtudetostandup,showyourcolorsandthenwillfullyactonyourconvic3onsconsistently,especiallyinthecompanyofyourcri3cs.Thechallengetoleadisinfrontofyoueveryday….notonlyinthelarge,seriousconsequen3al
decisions…butintheeverydaysmallones.
MyPhilosophy:
And…greatleadersdon’thavetobeLOUD….andtheyknow
howtosurvivefailure.
10LeadershipProfiles• AllAmericanWomen• OurContemporaries….allalivebut1• DiverseFields: Business PoliAcs Entertainment Arts&Architecture Military Entrepreneurs
10LeadershipTraitsConvicAonCourageGoals
Self‐ConfidencePerseverance
VisionUnconvenAonalReinvenAonIndependenceImmersion
CarolynMcCarthySingularConvicAon
4‐TermCongresswomaninU.S.HouseofRepresenta3ves,NewYork4thDistrictsince1996.WasaLPNbeforehusbandkilledandsonseverelyinjuredbyrandomactofgunviolenceonNYcommutertrain.6killed,18injured.Electedas&con3nuestobefierceadvocateofguncontrol.Carolynisdyslexic.
COLSylvia“Stoneface”Moran
Re3redin2011fromtheUSArmyaaera35yearmilitarycareer.Graduatedfromfirst1976WestPointclasstoincludewomen.Oneofmosthighlydecoratedofficersofhergenera3on.Servedinhighlycompe33veAirborne&MilitaryIntelligence.
UnflinchingCourage
AnnFudgeSeOngBreakthroughGoals
34yearmanagementcareerbeganinmarke3ngatGeneralMills.WasPresidentof$5BKraaFoodsdivision.FormerCEOofYoung&RubicamAdver3sing.CurrentlyDirectorof8Fortune500Companies.Oneoffirst1977femaleandwomen‐of‐colorgraduatesofHarvardBusinessSchool.Wasmarriedandhadfirstchildbeforegraduatedcollege.
KatyPerryUnbridledSelf‐Confidence
26yearoldsinger,songwriter,actress.Releasedfirstgospelalbumatage17aaeroneyearofhighschoolandGED.Strivesfortotalar3s3ccontrolandselfmanagement.Firstar3stinhistorytospendoneyear,52consecu3veweeks,intop10ofBillboardHot100.
BarbaraJordanPerseveranceAgainstAllOdds
FirstAfrican‐AmericanwomanelectedtoTexasSenate(1966)andUSHouseofRepresenta3ves(1972).ChampionedCivilRights,Vo3ngRights,Immigra3onReform.FullprofessoratUT17yrsbeforedeathin1996.WonPresiden3alMedalofFreedomandmanyotherhonors.Sufferedfrommul3plesclerosisen3republiclife.
MaryWellsLawrencePowerofCreaAveVision
BorninYoungstown.startedascopywriterMcCannErikson1953,re3red1998asfounder&CEOofWellsRichGreene.FirstwomantoownamajorMadisonAveagency.Shecreated:PlopPlop,FizzFizzIcan'tbelieveIatethewholethingTryit,You'llLikeitINewYorkTrusttheMidasTouchAtAtFord,,QualityisJob1FlickYourBicRaiseYourHandifYou'reSure
Oneof2008Foundersof
wowOwow.comMuseforPeggyon
MegWhitmanTheUnconvenAonalPaidOff
Startedblue‐chipcareeratP&Gin1979,rapidlyrisingstaratDisney,Bain,HasbrobeforetakingriskyleapasEbayCOEin1998.Mostadvisedheragainstit.In10yrs,grewEbayfrom30employees&$4Mrevenueto15,000&$8Brevenue.In2009ranforgovernorofCalfwinningprimarybutdefeatedin2010byJerryBrown.Networth$1.5B.
JudithJamisonArAstReinvented
PrincipaldancerandchoreographerfortheAlvinAileyDanceCompanyfrom1965to1980.NamedAr3s3cDirector1989andheldmgmtroleun3l2011re3rement.Wonnumerousawards,KennedyCenter,Nat’lArts,Emmy.
MayaLinFearlessIndependence
OneofgreatestAmericanarchitectsandsculptors.WonCommissionforVietnamMemorial1981atage21whileanundergradatYale.Concepthighlycontroversial&defendedinfrontofUSCongress.Withstoodcri3cswhoopposedherAsianheritage.Shebelievesshewouldnothavewonifsubmissionshadn’tbeen“blind”.
KimKnopfTotalImmersion
Kim&Karrie
Anintrepidentrepreneur,KimstartedIMSinatage23in1983with$25K,growingtocurrent115storesin4states.She100%personifiesthebusiness–involvingherfamilytohelpdelivertrust,valueandqualitytoeverycustomer–anddrivefuturegrowth.
InClosing:WhyShouldWeLead?• Tocontrolourownlives
• Toinspireandteachothers
• Tolearnhowtofailandrecover
• Toallowourselvestogrow
ReadingList• BarbaraJordan:AmericanHero,byMaryBethRogers:Bantam,2000
• “AnnFudge:WayBeyondtheGlassCeiling”,byJudithH.Dobrzyski,TheNewYorkTimes,May11,1995.jrank.orgbio
• ABigLife(inAdverCsing),byMaryWellsLawrence,AlfredA.Knopf,2002
• “KatyPerryMakesHot100History–TiesMichaelJackson’sRecord”,August16,2011,Billboard.com
• “Whitman:100BestPerformingCEOsintheWorld”,HarvardBusinessReview.January,2010
• MayaLin:AStrongClearVision,InternetMovieDatabase,1994
• Who'sWhoinWestVirginiaBusiness2008Winner:KimKnopfhup://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=46565&ca3d=172
Notes
ThankYou!”