Name: Peggy Lee

Title: Founder & CEO

Organisation: BeeThere.org and The El Dorado House

My career in business spans many decades and includes 3 global 500 (1 global 50) and many start-ups. I've lead up to 100 employees in 2 separate organizations simultaneously.

I have been referred to as a mentor by many and consider myself a sales, marketing, business development, operations, and financial planning expert. My greatest accomplishment in business is my ability to motivate and train young people who have gone on to be leaders in large and small organizations.

I believe my honest, straightforward management style creates an atmosphere where people not only want to work for me, but they want to please me in the process. Praising people for their efforts and providing an environment where they know their ideas and contributions to the growth and health of the company is how I roll.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Peggy's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Managing change with people who often are not adaptable.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was mentored by a great leader, the President of Duracell, who is responsible for creating the global brand that it is today. He was tough, very tough, practical, some would agree he was kind, and a tremendous mentor. Everything I have become is almost directly a result of my early years in business with his guidance and direction.

From there I went on to Pepsi, which at the time was challenging Coke as the top soft drink brand in the US. It was a very different environment at that time--mostly a political one with great hires from top companies, and very little leadership, and a cutthroat environment for the employees. Turnover was extremely high. Most of the real work was done by consultants.

After consultation with my former mentor from Duracell, I resigned and went on to start many businesses including Lee Travel Group, a $40 Million Travel and Event/Meeting Planning business in the Northeast where I built and patented the 1st software to book hotel rooms from online room blocks, airline tickets at group/negotiated rates, and registration for large tradeshows, conferences and all types of event. That software called b-there is now part of Cvent, the global leader in group registration and hotel booking solutions for the Meetings and Event Industry.

From there I went to British Telecom and ran Business Development for North America for the Travel & Leisure sectors. I've worked as a sales, marketing, and business development consultant for many industry start-ups in travel, hospitality, real estate, mortgage banking, insurance, and other sectors since those days. My focus now is to create a global brand for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery with my non-profit BeeThere.org.

It's a national solution for the diseases, but a state-by-state solution for managing it. It will require state leaders and many volunteers to make it a reality. I'm also leading a storefront and online retail organization that resells finer things--art, vintage, antiques, new with tags, etc., whose purpose is to support the build-out of BeeThere's state-by-state communities of those affected by these often tragic diseases and their loved ones who support them.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I wake up very early and spend 2 to 4 hours updating myself on the world-social, email, tasks, etc. I try to give at least 15 minutes to my higher power in prayer and meditation, read my life goals, and create a written plan for the day. Once I depart for my store and non-profit office, I usually go non-stop for the day, though my preference is to have a 30-minute downtime in the early afternoon. In the early evening, I usually cook a healthy meal and relax, going to bed at around 10 pm most nights.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Be ever conscious of your people's feelings and perceptions.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

I can't remember right now.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Create an environment of Love vs. intimidation. People respond to positive encouragement and recognition even more than money.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Diversity is not a political choice for me. It's the way I live, professionally and personally. I never cared by color someone dyed their hair (I like blue a lot) what their accent was, or their religion, etc. I cared about making them feel needed, loved, and nurtured. Gay people, people of color, and people of varied faiths and political beliefs can work together in harmony if the environment is one of openness, creativity, and just plain hard work. As my Mama often said, "Hard work never hurt anybody". As someone great once said, "Trust but verify". As a prophet once said, "I have a dream". As Einstein once said, "Love is the answer".