Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform. 12 Things Good Bosses Believe - Robert I. Sutton - The Conversation. By Robert I. Sutton | 9:32 AM May 28, 2010 What makes a boss great? It’s a question I’ve been researching for a while now. In June 2009, I offered some analysis in HBR on the subject, and more recently I’ve been hard at work on a book called Good Boss, Bad Boss (published in September by Business Plus). In both cases, my approach has been to be as evidence-based as possible. That is, I avoid giving any advice that isn’t rooted in real proof of efficacy; I want to pass along the techniques and behaviors that are grounded in sound research. At the same time, I’ve come to conclude that all the technique and behavior coaching in the world won’t make a boss great if that boss doesn’t also have a certain mindset.
What do you say: does that about cover it? If you’re like most people I meet, you’ve had your share of bad bosses — and probably at least one good one. Robert Sutton is Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. The BP Culture's Role in the Gulf Oil Crisis - The Conversation. By Elizabeth Haas Edersheim | 8:23 AM June 8, 2010 I’ve been watching BP carefully long before anyone heard of a “top kill” or “Lower Marine Riser Package Cap.”
I lived in Cleveland in 1979, when BP was acquiring Standard Oil of Ohio and worried for my friends who worked there. But I got reassurance at the time from Marvin Bower, a founder of McKinsey & Co. He told me BP wanted Standard Oil’s expertise in Alaska, along with their North American distribution system. Now, 31 years later, in 2010, that culture seems to be lost. In the case of BP, the culture didn’t work effectively and now its failure is on full display. BP’s culture allowed extreme shortsightedness in pursuit of profit at the cost of safety or environmental stewardship. Even worse, the broken values appear to appear to go on, thanks to the company and the government. This fiasco has become more about public relations than public’s right to know. How to Mitigate the Urgent to Focus on the Important - Conversation Starter - HarvardBusiness.org. By Gina Trapani | 1:38 PM February 18, 2009 Busy people have two options when they decide how their workdays will go: they can choose to be reactive to urgent demands on their time, or proactive about focusing on what they decide is important.
The only way to actually get things done is to mitigate the urgent to work on the important. Let’s differentiate between what I call urgent and important. Urgent tasks include things like that frantic email that needs a response RIGHT NOW; a sudden request that seems like it’ll only take two minutes but often ends up taking an hour; a report you’ve got to write up before a meeting.
More often than not “the urgent” is putting out fires, or busywork, or tasks that you’d rather do first because they’re less intimidating than your current project list. Urgent tasks are usually short-term and we’re drawn to them because they keep us busy and make us feel needed. On the flip side, important work moves you and your business towards your goals.
How to Lead When You're Not the Boss - Harvard Management Update - HarvardBusiness.org. By Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay | 3:17 PM February 7, 2009 Real leadership is never a matter of mere formal authority. Leaders are effective when other people acknowledge them as such–by listening seriously to their ideas, valuing and following their suggestions for action, and turning to them for advice. Opportunities to lead aren’t limited to times when you have formal authority over a particular team or venture. When you step forward and demonstrate leadership, you will contribute value to the project or enterprise–and strengthen your leadership skills. In their book Lateral Leadership: Getting Things Done When You’re Not the Boss (2nd ed., Profile Books, 2004), Harvard negotiation specialist Roger Fisher and coauthor Alan Sharp lay out a useful five-step method for leading when you are not formally in charge. 1. 2. 3.
Anyone who prompts the group to engage in regular minireviews and learn from them is playing a de facto leadership role. 4. 5. 25 Stretch Goals for Management - Gary Hamel - HarvardBusiness.org. By Gary Hamel | 5:00 PM February 3, 2009 Preview Gary Hamel’s February 2009 article in the Harvard Business Review,Moon Shots for Management. In May 2008, a group of renowned scholars and business leaders gathered in Half Moon Bay, California, with a simple goal: to lay out an agenda for reinventing management in the 21st century.
The two-day event, organized by the Management Lab with support from McKinsey & Company, brought together veteran management experts such as CK Prahalad, Henry Mintzberg, and Peter Senge; distinguished social commentators including Kevin Kelly, James Surowiecki and Shoshana Zuboff; and a number of progressive CEOs, including Terri Kelly from WL Gore, Vineet Nayar from HCL Technologies, and John Mackey from Whole Foods. Before arriving, each of the 35 attendees participated in an hour-long interview. Once together, the attendees shared perspectives in large and small groups. The conversations were energetic, passionate, and sometimes contentious.