Welcome to the Forty Over 40 blog. Every week we spotlight one of our honorees and their thoughts on reinvention, mentorship and momentum…plus a peek into what makes them tick.
This week’s Q & A is with Co-Founder and CEO, Endeavor, a global organization leading the High-Impact Entrepreneurship movement around the world.
1. What was a pivotal momentum of reinvention for you?
A few years ago I showed a draft of a showy speech I had written to my husband, writer and New York Times columnist Bruce Feiler, who promptly tore it apart: “Too much Superman, not enough Clark Kent,” he explained. I always thought it was the job of a CEO to sound steely and imperious. Sadly, it wasn’t until my same husband got diagnosed with aggressive bone cancer that I finally heeded his advice because I had no choice – I couldn’t hide my emotions from my colleagues and employees so I let it all out, and much to my surprise, they respected me more for it. Fortunately, Bruce’s cancer went away and so did my hardened exterior. Since then I have strived to be a “less super” and “more human” leader, who exposes her weaknesses, admits her mistakes and embraces her flaws.
2. Who has been a valuable mentor or sponsor?
Since our organization’s mission is to select, support and mentor entrepreneurs, there are plenty of inspirational role models in our network whom I look up to. But I am especially grateful to Edgar Bronfman, Jr., the current chairman of Endeavor Global, whose perfect mix of prodding and pushback has gotten our organization to where it is today. Ten years ago, Edgar said that Endeavor needed to go from “charming” to “important,” and challenged us to expand from 6 countries in 2005 to 25 countries by 2015. I’m pleased to say that, despite our initial disbelief, we are nearly there!
3. What is your biggest goal right now?
My biggest professional goal right now is to see Endeavor become one of the world’s first self-sustaining non-profit; then we could truly call ourselves an organization “of, for and by entrepreneurs,” and demonstrate what we already know: that high-impact entrepreneurs are the engines of long-term economic growth and shared prosperity. My biggest personal goal is that my twin girls, now 10, continue to respect me throughout their adolescence!
4. How did you get your first job? How did you jump to your second job?
Yale Law School helped jumpstart my career but it wasn’t in law! My professors there recognized that my heart wasn’t in the field and generously gave me an opportunity to do independent research in Latin America which eventually led me to Bill Drayton’s Ashoka, a global organization that identifies and invests in social entrepreneurs in developing countries. I loved Bill’s model but I wanted to focus on supporting more high-impact business entrepreneurs with the greatest potential to scale and create jobs in emerging and underserved markets. This dream eventually led me to co-found Endeavor, taking care of my second and last job.
5. What time do you typically wake up? What do you do every morning?
I usually wake up around 7 when my girls do to shuffle them through the morning ritual of breakfast, dressing and drop-off. By 8:15, I’m back at my computer ready to take on the workday.
6. How do you unplug? How often do you unplug?
I try to go to a Pilates or Gyro class 2-3 times a week to unwind. There’s a studio right above the floor of my office so I really have no excuse not to go and I always feel lighter on the elevator ride down!
7. What’s the best networking contact you’ve made? How did you make it?
I’m often introduced as the stalker. Six months into Endeavor, I was still trying to up the “cred” of our board members when I learned that Peter Brooke, the legendary VC and private equity pioneer, was speaking at Harvard Business School, so I followed him—all the way to Cambridge, to Burden Hall and to the men’s bathroom where I cornered Peter into becoming co-chair of our global advisory board. As I now like to say, stalking is an underrated startup strategy!
8. What challenge / achievement are you most proud of?
The idea for Endeavor came to me in the back of a Buenos Aires taxi where I learned from the driver that not only was there not a culture of entrepreneurship in Latin America—there wasn’t even a word for it! Ten years later, my team in San Paolo got a call from the editor of the leading Portuguese-Brazilian dictionary saying that they were adding the word “empreendedorismo” to the lexicon, largely thanks to our work in the region. Helping to popularize a word in a language I didn’t even speak would have to be right up there with giving birth naturally to identical twins.
9. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best piece of advice I ever received came from a 5 year old – my daughter! With the wisdom of the 40-something women on your list, she pulled me aside just as I was leaving for a business trip to caution, “Remember, you can be an entrepreneur for a short time, but you’re a mommy forever.” Since that day, the business trips have lessened but not the schoolings from my children!
10. What is your “keep me going” quote?
The quote that keeps me going is the line that buttresses my entire book: “If you’re not being called crazy, it’s because you’re not thinking big enough.” It’s an easy benchmark for knowing when to push the envelop and when to reel in your imagination. The more often than not, I’ve found crazy is a compliment.
Check out Linda Rottenberg’s full 40 Over 40 profile here!
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