Supplement to the article, "Carol M. Mabe, Zeta Lambda '69 (East Carolina University), is Delta Zeta's 2011 Woman of the Year," published in The LAMP of Delta Zeta Issue 3 - 2011.

"My challenges mirrored those of all business professionals - man or woman," Carol Mabe says, as one of the first women to break into the senior ranks within the male-dominated apparel industry in the 1980s and 1990s.

Finding balance between work and personal life. Inspiring and motivating employees and providing clear, consistent direction that they could embrace. Promoting teamwork, ownership, sense of responsibility and loyalty. Providing development opportunities for employees so they can be successful and advance in their careers."

Today Carol continues to stay in touch with those she inspired and worked with in the business world. "The most effective way to lead is to build a strong team. Treat people with respect and allow them to build ownership in what they are doing," she says. "After being asked to speak on leadership at a number of conferences, I thought about what I had learned over the years and developed my 12 Commandments for Effective Leadership. These are based on what I learned and reflect
the 'softer' side of leadership - the people side.

Carol Mabe says her 12 Commandments for Effective Leadership are simple (and obvious), but ones that are sometimes overlooked, not only in the business world, but anywhere there is a need for strong and effective leadership. Carol first shared these commandments at a lecture at East Carolina University College of Business in Greenville, North Carolina on April 11, 2007 for Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

12 Commandments for Effective Leadership

  1.  Think and say "we."
  2.  Treat people with respect.
  3.  Stay true to your values.
  4.  Focus on opportunities, not problems.
  5.  Be passionate.
  6.  Be creative.
  7.  Be flexible.
  8.  Be disciplined and decisive.
  9.  Be a skilled communicator.
10.  Continuously learn ... and teach.
11.  Embrace the power of diversity.
12.  Have fun!

Carol Mabe made her mark in the business world of the 1970s and 1980s, when women faced the "glass ceiling" in corporate culture, "the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements." (Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Solid Investments: Making Full Use of the Nation's Human Capital. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Labor, November 1995, p. 4.)

"The world is different today, and women have made great progress," says Carol. "The options for women when I graduated from high school were to become a nurse, teacher or secretary. Today, it is a different time. When I was coming up in the corporate world, it was a struggle. You had to focus completely on your career. Women were perceived as 'weak' if they took time off to have children. Today men participate more in raising children. Technology allows women flexibility in the work place. Women can do anything."

Go back to The LAMP of Delta Zeta.