During decades of research, Prof. Sydney Finkelstein of the Tuck School of Business (at Dartmouth College, USA) and author of Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Manage the Flow of Talent found that, on average, more than half of the people who lead the same field have been in the same field. work for the same good leader.
For example, between 1994 and 2004, 9 out of 11 executives who worked with founder Larry Ellison at Oracle became CEOs, COOs or presidents at other companies/organizations.
To find out the secret of these "super leaders", Prof. Sydney Finkelstein researched thousands of related articles, books and conducted more than 200 interviews to identify commonalities, behavioral tendencies, and all the useful facts to explain why has the superhuman ability to both promote the growth of the company and elevate the success of his subordinates.
After the research process, Prof. Sydney Finkelstein found that great leaders tend to be extremely confident, competitive, imaginative, and unafraid to show who they really are. However, according to GS. Sydney Finkelstein, the most important thing he noticed was the commonality in the use of people by these "super-leaders". That is:
Focus on intelligence, creativity and flexibility
Good leaders are always on the lookout for seemingly unusual talent who not only have the ability to grow a business, but can also write a new definition of success.
Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels once said, "If at any point, you look around the room and think, 'God, these people are amazing', chances are you're in the right room. Already".
Good leaders always have a different way to develop employees. A close subordinate of Larry Ellison said, Ellison's greatest strength is "helping special people create things that seem impossible".
Before starting their own real estate companies, C. Ronald Blankenship and R. Scot Sellers both worked for real estate mogul Bill Sanders. According to Blankenship and Sellers, Sanders likes to hire people who are "four times smarter than him," insisting, "If you're not hiring great people, you shouldn't be hiring anyone."
Give opportunities to those who seem to have little potential
Good leaders have an open mind and aren't afraid to give opportunities to people who don't seem like the "golden candidates". At healthcare giant HCA, for example, co-founder Tommy First sometimes picks physiotherapists into the ranks, simply because he “discovers something That's especially about them."
Super leaders often skip the normal interview process, asking questions that seem odd and then observing the candidate. Fashion billionaire Ralph Lauren is a prime example. When he meets candidates, he will ask them to talk about the clothes they are wearing and explain why they choose that outfit.
Creative
At Industrial Light & Magic, founder George Lucas' employees didn't even have a job description. Their tasks for each assigned project completely depend on the actual needs and personnel factors at that time.
This may seem counterintuitive, but it reflects the creative thinking that great leaders often apply to everything they do.
Accept the departure of talented people
Smart, creative and flexible people tend to develop their careers quickly, so sometimes they want to leave their current company to progress quickly. Good leaders always accept that fact because they understand that the quality of talent in the team is more important than stability, and see the rotation of people as an opportunity to find new "stars".
In 1997, National Geographic invited Richard Allen to lead a division. At that time, Richard Allen was a close subordinate of John Hendricks - the founder of Discovery Communications. Although it was entirely possible, Hendricks did not try to keep Allen because he wanted a friend to lead his rival company. “This is a sign of a generous spirit,” says Richard Allen.
This generous spirit also contributes to creating a “good reputation” for talented leaders, when their subordinates are successful in both old and new companies. As a result, even though there is no need to actively recruit, talents still find them by themselves.
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