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Are you as tired of thinking about the dire economy, war casualties, and the oil spill as I am? Do you want to read something that is somewhat related to work, but easy and fun, and you won’t feel guilty about spending the time? If so, then I recommend anything by Malcolm Gladwell. This writer has an amazing ability to find patterns out of things that others miss, and his writing is entertaining and stimulating. He’s the guy who brought us the concept of the “tipping point,” which describes the point at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable. He’s written several books, all million sellers, and I chose to read Outliers for this review.
An outlier, according to Gladwell, is something that is markedly different in value from others in a statistical sample. He primarily focuses on the stories of people who have had great success, including Bill Gates. Gladwell looks underneath the stories to find that success is partially about individual striving, but it also includes luck, taking advantage of opportunities that are denied to others, talent and smarts, and lots and lots of practice.
Paul Osterman brings his academic perspective from the MIT Sloan School of Management to the issue of what is happening with middle managers today. Basically, he finds that middle managers are insecure in their jobs, more loyal to their teams than to the larger corporation, and like the work they do. None of these conclusions will be a surprise to people who work within corporations, but the data-driven analysis gives his words some weight.
One of the most intriguing discussions in his book is the history and perceptions of middle managers in the overall culture. Early in the twentieth century, advances in technology permitted cheap production on a very large scale. Middle management was the key actor that facilitated the remarkable growth and efficiency of the American economy. Without middle management’s coordination of production and distribution, firms could not grow big enough to take advantage of the technological potential of mass production and low unit cost. In other words, middle managers were heroes at first.
Too often I have heard from managers and recruiters who are Boomers or Generation X that Millennials have an unrealistic, inflated view of their capabilities. On the other hand, many Boomers and Generation X have a deflated perception of their competencies. Is this generational?
There are studies that would support that Millennials have an inflated view of their capabilities. A study of the generational differences in psychological traits of college students by Jean M. Wenge and Stacy Campbell, (Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol 23 No. 8, 2008) found that the Millennial generation has the highest scores of self esteem and narcissism of any generation. Comparing scores of college-aged students on psychological inventories between 1950 and into the 2000s, the authors were able to track significant changes in generations. By the mid 1990, the average “Generation Me” college student had a higher self-esteem than 71% of Boomers. Narcissism scores also raised significantly. The average college student in 2006 scored higher in narcissism than 65 percent of students in the early 1980s. Specifically, a significant number of Millennial college students responded affirmative to questions such as “If I ruled the world it would be a better place,” “I think I am a special person,” and “I can live my life any way I want.”
Taking the reins at one of the largest and most influential companies in history is an undoubtedly daunting assignment. Following in the footsteps of one of the most important figures in modern history only adds to the challenge. Satya Nadella, the man tabbed for taking Microsoft into a new era of influence and prosperity as CEO, brings a wealth of experience, a uniquely international perspective, and a leadership style that will be tested as he commands an employee base of over 100,000 professionals.
This transfer of leadership comes at a time when Microsoft faces challenges unlike any in the company’s storied history. With new avenues spawned from; a diverse array of tech platforms, the ever-expanding wireless and mobile markets continuing to explode across the marketplace, and a recent history of playing catch-up to other Silicon Valley upstarts, Nadella looks to carve out a bigger slice of market share for Microsoft with a fresh, new leadership style.
Satya Nadella is just the third of Microsoft’s CEOs and the first to be promoted to the helm having not been part of the founding of the company. Following his 1992 hire from Sun Microsystems, Nadella has spent 22 years with the Redmond-based tech giant in executive roles. Though Microsoft has seen its luster tarnished over the past decade, the company’s imprint on the PC market continues to dwarf all others. Still, the vast majority of PCs sold today, come equipped with the familiar Windows operating system platform. The company’s foray into the post-PC world is what continues to challenge Microsoft and will be a critical arena for Nadella and his staff to address.
Daniel Pink opens our minds and shows us new possibilities in this entertaining book about how the right brain can contribute in a world that has long been devoted to left brain thinking. He begins by reviewing how the two halves of the brain work: the left hemisphere is sequential, analytical, verbal, and detail-oriented, while the right hemisphere processes information simultaneously, specializes in context, understands metaphor and nonverbal cues, and synthesizes the big picture. Pink’s thesis is that right-brain directed thinking, so often disdained and dismissed, will increasingly determine who soars and who stumbles.
He explains the reasons behind the shift from left to right brain dominance: abundance, Asia, and automation. In our abundance, we acknowledge that our left brains have made us rich. We can buy just about anything we want at a minimal price. This puts a premium on the aesthetic. For business, it’s no longer enough to create a product that’s reasonably priced and adequately functional. Now it must be beautiful, unique, and meaningful to be competitive.
Change is good…except when it’s bad. One of the most relied upon adages in any endeavor is that at some time things will change. Oftentimes change is visited upon a company by unforeseen outside influences; a market contraction, an event that disrupts the supply chain, or the sudden departure of valuable talent. Other times, change within an organization can come voluntarily, as a necessary means for survival or to move in a direction that will bring future prosperity and a strengthened position within a market. In either case, leadership during a time of transformation will make the difference between a successful shift and a disastrous one.
Quality leadership requires managers who are not only prepared and adept at handling matters during the sublime, but leaders who are agile and composed enough to navigate through turbulence. The keys to effective management during times of transformation are varied, with each leadership trait playing a critical role in the effective stewardship of the company through the turmoil of change. To ensure your company has what it takes to survive and even thrive through the adversity that transformation can bring, pay diligent attention to a few crucial leadership attributes that will serve you well and lead your company back to a more serene environment.