Discussion Post
Marissa Mayer, the former CEO of Yahoo knows plenty about scary steps. Ms. Mayer took charge of the fading internet pioneer while six months pregnant-an uncommon move in American business. And the tech-industry veteran once leapt from a skyscraper solely protected by a body harness and a cable. For her latest gutsy act, Ms. Mayer braved the raging pandemic last November to launch the first product from Sunshine Products Inc., the tech startup she co-founded in 2018 after leaving Yahoo. Its Sunshine Contacts app automatically organizes and improves iPhone contacts. The 45-year-old CEO admits she worried about possible poor timing for the app amid Covd-19. But Sunshine Contacts, available by invitation, has attracted thousands of users, she reports.Read this article, Marissa Mayer WSJ Article and answer the questions below in your submission (copy of the article is also attached as a pdf).
Task:
1) Ms. Mayer fielded 14 job offers in spring 1999 while completing her Stanford master's degree in computer science. She accepted Google's. She figured leaders of the fledgling search engine could teach her a lot even if they failed. What does this approach to her job search say about Ms. Mayer's approach to leadership and what are the main pros and cons of this type of approach?
2) In the article Ms. Mayer says that her optimism partly reflects supportive and candid feedback from mentors-though "I didn't necessarily always like what they had to say.'' She expects they will also assist her in building Sunshine into a successful global business. What are the primary benefits of having advisors and friends who tell a leader what s/he needs to her vis-à-vis what s/he wants to hear?
3) At Google Ms. Mayer devised a two-year mentorship program that prepared recent graduates to be Google product managers. What are some of the main reasons developing leaders are reluctant to reach out for mentorship and what can they do to overcome this hesitance?
The response must include a reference list. One-inch margins, double-space, Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.