eBay’s CEO finds ideas through constant feedback

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Before Jamie Iannone became president and CEO of eBay in April 2020, he wrote a 10-page white paper for the board of directors, spelling out his ideas for reviving the online marketplace, which was facing pressure from an activist investor. But before rolling out his plans, he spoke to every top leader in the company and asked them the following questions: What three things need to change at eBay? What three things need to stay the same? What did they hope he’d do as CEO? He says those conversations gave him a deep understanding of how to carry out his strategic plan while also evolving eBay’s culture. “If you can find it inside them, most companies have the answer,” he says, to finding the best path forward. Feedback fuels ideas Iannone’s thirst for feedback extends to the buyers and sellers who use eB…