The ideal career path may be: reaching the top of the corporate world, then taking time off for family when your kids need you most, and then jumping back into a primo job at a top-tier global company.
Impossible in this dreadful economy? Here's someone who's done it. Remember Jeanne Jackson? At Gap (GPS) in the 90s, she built Banana Republic and then went to help Wal-Mart (WMT) take Walmart.com from MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jul 7, 2009 3:45 PM ET
"It's sort of the silver lining of things not being quite fair: It's not as big a deal if you say, 'I'm going to take a salary cut and see if I can be something else. A night-club singer.'"
Nora Ephron, talking about women, in "Nora Knows What To Do" in the current issue of The New Yorker. After reading this profile and hearing the Sarah Palin news, Ephron's quote haunted MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jul 6, 2009 6:46 PM ET
Yesterday's New York Times Magazine cover story, "The Gavinator?!?!"--about San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and the field of colorful candidates vying to succeed California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger--was breezily entertaining. So breezy that it skipped a few important points.
And having written a Fortune cover story, "Can Meg Whitman Save California?" about one of those gubernatorial rivals, I can't resist weighing in...
First, on the money. It's strange that yesterday's New York Times MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jul 6, 2009 2:17 PM ET
A gloomy outlook as we head off for the long weekend. Today's monthly jobs report was worse than May's, worse than expected, and worse than we've seen in 26 years. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.5%...and is bound to go past 10%.
So when will the pain ease? Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer told me last week: "I don't think we're in a recession. I think we've reset. It's very MORE
Patricia Sellers - Jul 2, 2009 2:27 PM ET
"The only thing that means a lot to me is winning."
-- Tiger Woods, after missing just the fourth tournament cut of his career back in October, 2005. All was not lost though. Since fellow golfer Vijay Singh also missed the cut that weekend, Woods stole the PGA Tour money title back from him. The quote reveals the mindset that makes Woods, four years later, the $100 Million Man, landing him MORE
Jessica Shambora, Writer-Reporter - Jul 1, 2009 6:07 PM ET
Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs (GS), phoned from Madrid a few weeks ago to share "The Best Advice I Ever Got." This is the cover package in the current issue of Fortune. And you can read wisdom from Blankfein and lots of other power players --Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Google (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt--in the issue and online.
Beyond Blankfein's "Best Advice" that appears in the issue, he told MORE
Jessica Shambora, Writer-Reporter - Jul 1, 2009 12:11 PM ET
For the latest on the most influential women in business, philanthropy, government, and the arts, like us on Facebook. 
In a funny and candid interview, Google VP Marissa Mayer explains how she got to the top. Watch
Xerox CEO Ursula Burns shares how she once accepted a job with Dell but ended up staying with Xerox. Watch
Pattie Sellers has written some of Fortune's most talked-about cover stories, including "Oprah's Next Act," "Can Meg Whitman Save California?" "The $100 Billion Woman" (Melinda Gates), "MySpace Cowboys," Martha Stewart ("I cannot be destroyed"), Ted Turner ("Gone with the Wind") and Oprah Winfrey ("Oprah Inc."). Since its launch in 1998, Pattie has helped oversee Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" cover package.
A specialist at dissecting larger-than-life personalities, she has also profiled former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Morgan Stanley chairman John Mack, and countless CEOs.
Pattie co-chairs the annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the preeminent gathering of women leaders in business, philanthropy, government, academia, and the arts. She started at Fortune in 1984, covering the big brand companies.
In Pattie's blog, Postcards, she provides insight into the lives of super-achievers through commentary, career advice, and Guest Posts by CEOs and other leaders.
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Fortune Most Powerful Women
Sheryl Sandberg:
Gina Bianchini
