Postcards

Frances Hesselbein's life in leadership

When Frances Hesselbein was CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, she believed that "only the best is good enough for those who serve girls." Her philosophy drove a turnaround of that struggling organization and led to friendships with CEOs like Alan Mulally of Ford (F) and management master Peter Drucker.

Hesselbein met Drucker at New York's University Club in 1981--an encounter that turned out to be life-changing. After leading the MORE

Barbara Bush builds a healthcare startup

Wendy Kopp, the founder and CEO of Teach for America, is one of the most impressive social entrepreneurs I've ever met. Anyone who writes her college thesis about recruiting America's top young people to education—and then spends the next 22 years building an organization that now hires more college seniors than most any Fortune 500 company—gets my vote.

But I'm not here to tell you about Kopp. (She's had many profiles MORE

Sheryl Sandberg's greatest career lesson

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has become the go-to adviser for aspiring young women in business. Her view, which she expressed in an on-stage interview with me at the recent Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit: "Women don't take enough risks. Men are just 'foot on the gas pedal,'" she said, adding, "We're not going to close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap."

Indeed, Sandberg's own career path--from the U.S. MORE

Fortune 500 Women CEOs hits a record 18

This morning—one day after IBM disclosed that Ginni Rometty will be its new chief--pharma company Mylan announced that Heather Bresch is its new leader.

And with that, the number of female Fortune 500 CEOs reaches a record 18. Here are the women leading America's largest corporations, with their company's rank in the Fortune 500.

11.  Meg Whitman - Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)

18. Ginni Rometty - IBM (IBM)

39. Patricia A. Woertz  - Archer Daniels Midland MORE

New IBM CEO means two top tech chiefs are women

Ginni Rometty is the next CEO of IBM, the company announced this afternoon.

With that news comes a stunning stat: America's two largest tech companies will be headed by women.

Meg Whitman, who built eBay (EBAY), became CEO of Hewlett-Packard last month.

H-P (HPQ) is No. 11 on the Fortune 500. IBM (IBM) is No. 18.

Both women spoke at the recent Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. Rometty's main message (and one that Whitman MORE

Most Powerful Women: The network effect

What happens when influential women like Meg Whitman, Ellen Kullman - and a guy: Warren Buffett - get together? They share smart ideas and - forge unexpected new relationships.

FORTUNE -- Big topics -- the global economy, presidential politics, boardroom drama -- got plenty of airtime at Fortune's annual Most Powerful Women Summit in early October. Meg Whitman (No. 9), the new CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), outlined plans for calming the waters at MORE

The numbers behind the Buffett Rule

As powerful and provocative women (Gloria Steinem, Chelsea Handler, Rosie O'Donnell...) have been swarming Warren Buffett to boost his so-called Buffett Rule--his pitch to tax the super-rich at higher rates, in line with the middle class--a lot of ordinary people wonder: How much money would this amount to, and what good might it do for America?

At the recent Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) chief executive laid MORE

Buffett, Handler and Steinem walk into a party...

It's strange to fathom Chelsea Handler, Gloria Steinem, and Warren Buffett collaborating to reform America's tax code. But at the recent Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the edgy late-night talk-show host, the feminist icon, and the famed investor united around the "Buffett Rule," his proposal to lift taxes on the super-rich and equalize tax rates across classes. "I couldn't be more pleased," says Buffett, clearly pumped about his new supporters. MORE

Chelsea Handler and Gloria Steinem: Bring on the Buffett Rule

It was a riot having Chelsea Handler at last week's Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. Handler, whose business is media (two talk/reality programs on E!, a primetime sitcom coming soon to NBC (CMCSA), a growing stack of best-selling books), conducted a sharp and funny interview with another well-known media entrepreneur: Arianna Huffington, the queen of content at AOL (AOL). Handler also met Gloria Steinem at the Summit and invited the MORE

The Steve Jobs route to building a startup

I met Steve Jobs only once--back in 2007 when he came to Fortune to demo the iPhone. What a thrill when he walked into the conference room and took the empty chair next to mine. Over the next 90 minutes, the Apple (AAPL) founder and chief mesmerized Fortune's editors by previewing his game-changing product and his insanely creative mind at work.

That day, I saw proof, up close and personal, that MORE