US shapewear company Spanx has set the benchmark high on what makes a great leader (it’s really high and hard for other leaders to beat). Recently, the chief executive and founder of the shapewear company Spanx, surprised all her employees (over 500 employees) with two first-class plane tickets to anywhere in the world coupled with a US$10,000 (RM41,000) bonus to spend on the trip. The founder, Sara Blakely, gives the one-time bonus to celebrate the company’s US$1.2 billion (RM49bil) deal with Blackstone.
Speaking at a party to announce the free first-class plane ticket, Sara that wasn’t all.
“You know, if you have a trip, you might want to go out to a really nice dinner, you might want to go out to a really nice hotel. So with everybody’s two first-class tickets to anywhere in the world, you are each getting $10,000.”
It is marked as a celebration when the global investment firm Blackstone is buying a majority stake in Spanx. After 21 years of success, she believes her employees deserve a little treat.
Spanx wasn’t built in a day. She once made a living by selling fax machines door-to-door and it took her two decades to establish the company. She started the company in 2000 with just US$5,000 in savings. But, she pledged that the company would one day be worth US$20 million. Today, Spanx is a pioneer shapewear company and she has been named the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire by Forbes in 2012.
She expresses her gratitude on social media, saying “To stand here today, and to think about what we’ve been able to create and what we’ve been able to do by being authentic and kind and delivering amazing products to women to use their very feminine principles in a very masculine space which is business, leading with intuition, vulnerability … this marks a moment for female entrepreneurs.”
“This is a very big moment for each and every one of you,” Blakely said, “and I want to toast the women that came before me and all of the women in the world who have not had this opportunity.”
Yes, who doesn’t love perks and benefits? But, the most important thing is as a leader, you should make your employees feel valued and appreciated. That’s the secret to keeping them happy while working!
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