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Our 10th Anniversary Women of Distinction

PAMELA STAMBAUGH

Making Accountability Pay

By Judith A. Habert

Photo by Dawn Nicoli/Nicoli Productions

S A YOUNG GIRL AT Accountability Pays, Per- keep their high potentials world beyond themselves
Athe start of her college formance Advisor to Teams challenged such that they and their selfish desires —
career, Pamela Stambaugh and Leaders, spends her tap their potential and have to be real leaders who lead
found herself facing a bit of days working with execu- an appropriate career path, with integrity, with love, and
a dilemma. It wasn’t in what tives on how to tap the best the future of their firm may listen for peoples’ greatness.
direction she would take; I wanted to see more of that,
she knew exactly what she to encourage it.”
wanted to do. She wanted One of Pamela’s heroes
to enter into the world of is Dr. Peter Drucker, who
business. Unfortunately, at said, “The ability to make
the time Pamela’s father be- good decisions regarding
lieved that meant send her people represents one of
to secretarial school. Sec- the last reliable sources of
retarial training wasn’t even competitive advantage since
close to the direction for very few organizations are
which Pamela was heading. very good at it.”
After four years of teach- This contextual back-
ing high school English ground has led Pamela to
and Journalism, Pamela do a lot of work with high
moved in the direction she potentials, who are our
dreamed of and attended future leaders. Pamela adds,
the University of San Diego “They have been my pas-
to obtain her MBA. sion.” For five years Pamela
Today Pamela stands was a Vistage Chair, which
among CEOs, Presidents, combined with her other
and emerging leaders consulting experiences
helping them improve the helped her understand that
inner workings of their within themselves and their not be bright. “I spend a lot culture runs downhill from
companies, ‘one conversa- emerging leaders so that, of my time today on succes- leadership’s direction which
tion at a time.’ How does a like Goldilocks, they lead sion planning, and rightly directly impacts outcomes.
young girl from Wyoming their teams with not too so,” she quipped. Leaders must attend to
end up traveling the country much authoritative direc- creating financial stake-
doing what she does, at the tion and not too little. Not Her Why holder value, but the impact
level she does? Hard work, too much debate and not As we talked Pamela, re- of leaders under-valuing
determination, intelligence too little. Just right. Over flecting on her journey, said, human contributions to
and some very unique tools 17 years she has worked “I think many of us start out financial success means
to make what she does side-by-side with over 1000 trying to identify our ‘why’. negative outcomes for all
exceptional. leaders on what makes them We search for what inspires stakeholders. Pamela’s com-
If only her Dad could tick and on how to bring us to do what we do. I want- pany Accountability Pays is
see her now! Pamela their A game, knowing that ed to help leaders inspire aptly named because a great
Stambaugh, President of if leaders don’t find a way to others and contribute to the leader must be accountable

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