Pretty sobering to read that the company which believed in and practiced talent-based hiring and promoting was Enron.
Assessing performance instead of potential. But performance cannot be measured when promotions are taking place within the span of an evaluation cycle.
We tend to describe ourselves by the categories used by those with power. But those categories do not always (if even very often) either help us describe or understand reality accurately.
Gladwell suggests that the system is the star in companies that consistently thrive.
Different systems serve different strategic needs better. Whether highly centralized or decentralized, there is no one-size-fits-all “best” management system.
What intrigues me most is our enduring desire to find the “magic” answer. Which is the “correct” or “best” management system? What leadership style is most effective? Tell me, expert, tell me. Don’t make me think. Don’t make me choose. Give me another book. Find me a more authoritative guru.
This chapter makes me feel a bit proud that we at Bold Enterprises help leaders discover and develop their own individual “leadership poise.” The stance from which and out of which you observe, reflect, act and adjust on an on-going, non-formulaic basis.
Instead of searching for “the right answer” we become proficient at raising the right questions. The way forward through uncharted territory (the future) is not going to be found on any map. Becoming better map readers is not the skills leaders need in these times of rapid change.
How does one become a better explorer in a culture of competence, perfection and short-term measurements?
What do you think? What was your main take-away from this chapter?