Julie Nixon Eisenhower Defines the Attributes of Leadership for High Point Market Breakfast Attendees

Furniture World Magazine

Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Board member of Foamex International Inc. (NASDAQ:FMXI), shared her unique perspective on the qualities of leadership at the educational breakfast sponsored by Women In The Home Industries Today (WithIt) and International Home Furnishings Center (IHFC) on April 4. The breakfast event featuring a prominent keynote speaker, is a semiannual event at High Point Market and offers a learning opportunity to WithIt members and furniture industry professionals. In her speech, “Meeting the Challenges of Leadership,” Ms. Eisenhower drew upon her experiences in the White House and her interactions with nine American presidents and 10 first ladies. Through insightful comments and an irrepressible sense of humor, she engaged WithIt members and guests while conveying her message of what qualities make a successful leader. First on her list of leadership attributes was the ability to adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining a vision for the future. To illustrate this point, she translated a Chinese proverb—“Those who do not have long-term plans will have problems.” Two other essential characteristics for successful leadership that she highlighted are, a balanced perspective and a respect for the opinion of others. A leader, Ms. Eisenhower said, must be able to lead others as well as work with them. Finally, she said, great leaders are driven by the determination to realize their goals. That is why they “leave the petty and the personal behind in the closet” and are inspired to surround themselves with positive people. In conclusion, Ms. Eisenhower linked the qualities of political leadership to business leadership. She emphasized that business is the cornerstone of American democracy and the pursuit of excellence in this arena is critical to the future of the world. The daughter of President Richard Nixon and married to David Eisenhower, grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Julie Nixon Eisenhower is an editor, author and public speaker and has lectured extensively throughout the United States on the presidency, the Cold War and leadership. She serves on the board of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and in an advisory capacity at the Nixon Center, a bipartisan foreign policy think tank in Washington, D.C. She also serves on the board of the Eisenhower Foundation at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. In August 2002, President Bush named Julie Eisenhower Chairman of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, the nation’s foremost leadership program. Foamex International Inc., headquartered in Linwood, Pa., is the world’s leading producer of comfort cushioning for the bedding, furniture, carpet cushion and automotive markets. The company also manufactures high-performance polymers for diverse applications in the industrial, aerospace, defense, electronics and computer industries, as well as filtration and acoustical applications for the home. For more information, visit the Foamex Web site at www.foamex.com. WithIt, founded in 1997, encourages and develops leadership, mentoring, education and career opportunities for women in the home furnishings industry. For more information, visit www.withit.org.