The Most Powerful Women Of The Channel

Mentor: There was no one single mentor, but Grothjan says she has always looked to individuals with these qualities: strong leaders in tough environments, those who do a great job at work/life balance and those with a strong work ethic but who also know how to have fun.

Executives You Admire: Those who stay true to their beliefs and their actions clearly demonstrate that. Two executives that Grothjan says she truly admires for that reason are Mike Grainger and Frank Vitagliano.

Mentor: Hayes says she has never had one person as a mentor but has had individuals give her advice at different times in her career on different topics. This, she says, has enabled her to be mentored by many people with different views.

Mentor: Her sister-in-law, Janet Heck, who excelled at a prestigious Wall Street financial investment firm and has helped her maneuver through sensitive situations with her experience as one of the few female executives in a company.

Executives You Admire: Besides the women who have been mentors, Heck says, she has worked with many male executives she admires: Larry Zulch, founder of Dantz and later president of the EMC Insignia product line. Zulch genuinely cared equally about his staff and doing the right thing for them as he did for his own personal success, Heck says. Steve Houck, Heck's current manager, not only "talks on integrity, but walks the walk as someone who honors their word and strives to be the best leader he can be." And finally, Carl Eschenbach, executive vice president of worldwide field operations. Heck says she always applies the saying "Fish rots from the head" to what she thinks makes a good company culture. If the executive team holds themselves accountable to employees, customers and partners and shareholders, then each employee will do the same. Eschenbach has a balanced perspective on what is important to the company, but not at the expense of all else, she adds. "He inspires me to believe that we only get one shot on this earth, so let's make our contribution something we can be proud of."

Mentor: Her parents and former CFO

Executives You Admire: Hedrick says that anyone who is able to inspire positive, go-to attitudes among their employees and management teams is someone to admire.

Mentor: Wendy Bahr, vice president, channels, U.S./Canada at Cisco, is definitely a mentor, Hens says, and one who exemplifies poise and leadership in everything she does. Hens also tries to leverage several colleagues and trusted advisers, as she believes it is important to get different viewpoints when faced with business challenges. This, she finds, gives her a different perspective and sometimes sends her in a direction she wouldn't have thought to go.

Executives You Admire: Executives you admire: Hens truly admires Colin Powell and his leadership philosophies. She was very impressed when Powell spoke at Cisco and said, "Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds." Hens is focused on creating such an environment; it's fundamental to achieving amazing results, she believes.

Mentor: Robert B. Crooke, vice president and general manager of the Business Client Group, had a "profound" effect on Holthaus' career. From the start of her time at Intel, Crooke inspired her with his vision of the development of motherboard products, microprocessor and chipset-enabling technology and electrical and thermal mechanical solutions. He encouraged her ideas, she says, challenged her strategic thinking and helped make her a well-rounded leader.

Executives You Admire: Anne Mulcahy, chairman and CEO of Xerox, for her "ambition and drive that took her from a copy salesman to CEO and for her incredible leadership in returning Xerox to profitability."