" I realized I would prefer to be number two in a company with this impact on society than to be number one in another company without it."

In 1998, Jung was facing the most difficult decision of her long and successful career. Four years after joining Avon Products, she had just been passed over for promotion to CEO, in favor of one of the company's outside board members. "I had an offer to become CEO at another company, but Ann Moore, CEO of Time Inc. and an Avon board member, advised me to stay," she recalled. "She told me, 'Follow your compass and not your clock.'"

Jung decided to stay, becoming president of Avon and a board member. The decision changed her life. Just twenty months later, the new CEO retired, and Jung was named his successor in November 1999, becoming Avon's first female CEO. Reflecting on her decision, she notes, "If people can't tell that I love this company, it's hard to be a lasting leader."