The Myth of Performance Metrics; Harvard Business Review, 12/12/11

Dick Grote, Harvard Business Review; The Myth of Performance Metrics:

"Don't get hung up trying to find quantitative metrics to support every judgment in a performance appraisal. Remember what Albert Einstein said: "Not everything that counts can be counted. And not everything that can be counted counts.""

Carol Bartz Rips Yahoo Board: 'These People F----d Me Over' ; HuffingtonPost.com, 9/8/11

Catharine Smith, HuffingtonPost.com; Carol Bartz Rips Yahoo Board: 'These People F----d Me Over' :

"Ousted Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has some choice words to share about the people who fired her.

In her first interview since her dismissal on Tuesday evening, Bartz told Fortune her thoughts about Yahoo’s board of directors.

"These people f----d me over," Bartz said, according to Fortune’s Patricia Sellers."

Corner Office, Interview with Enrique Salem, president and C.E.O. of Symantec; Want to Lead? Ask Tennyson and Shakespeare; New York Times, 9/3/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Enrique Salem, president and C.E.O. of Symantec, the computer security company; Want to Lead? Ask Tennyson and Shakespeare:

"Q. And does that include difficult conversations with people about their performance?

A. Absolutely. It was harder for me to talk to somebody about, “Here’s where I need you to improve.” It didn’t make it easier to be worried about their reaction. Now I feel more comfortable with that, and I think it’s just a matter of experience.

If you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to be able to deliver the tough message. And I find that a lot of managers will not deliver those messages and then people are surprised. If you get asked to be a manager, you have to manage. And managing means sometimes you’ve got to deliver a tough message. But you’ve got to give the feedback in a way that has a constructive tone."

Interview with Terri Ludwig, president and chief executive of Enterprise Community Partners; Corner Office, New York Times, 8/20/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Terri Ludwig, president and chief executive of Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit housing finance organization:

"Q. Let’s shift to hiring. How would you interview me?

A. First of all, I would have expected you to be pretty well screened by the time you get to me. So I probably wouldn’t spend much time on the technical aspects. I would spend some time talking first about our mission. Why Enterprise? What’s compelling to you about housing and community development? I’d be looking for really a true commitment to that — something that really resonates and makes sense. And what have you done in your past? What do you do in your free time? I’d definitely want to know about who you are as a person. How do you live your life?

Q. And what other questions do you ask?

A. How do you like to work on a team? I would probably ask some specifics about how you would work toward getting a project done, and how you would engage teams. Give me some examples of how you’ve done that."

Reflecting on Steve Jobs' Words of Wisdom; Harvard Business Review, 8/26/11

Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen, Harvard Business Review; Reflecting on Steve Jobs' Words of Wisdom:

"On June 12, 2005, in his commencement address to Stanford's graduating class, Steve Jobs revealed:

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.""

Stop Ignoring the Stalwart Worker; Harvard Business Review, 8/26/11

Thomas J. DeLong, Harvard Business Review; Stop Ignoring the Stalwart Worker:

"So what exactly is the Stalwart temperament? Perhaps the defining characteristic of Stalwarts is their aversion to calling attention to themselves — even when they need to. They are like the proverbial wheel that never squeaks — and, consequently, gets no grease. The quickest way to identify Stalwarts is to list the people who make the fewest demands on the CEO's time. Such reserve is utterly alien to most Stars, who make sure that they squeak loudly enough to get the attention they want."

[Opinion] Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader; New York Times, 7/23/11

[Opinion] David J. Linden, New York Times; Addictive Personality? You Might be a Leader:

"WHEN we think of the qualities we seek in visionary leaders, we think of intelligence, creativity, wisdom and charisma, but also the drive to succeed, a hunger for innovation, a willingness to challenge established ideas and practices.

But in fact, the psychological profile of a compelling leader — think of tech pioneers like Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison and Steven P. Jobs — is also that of the compulsive risk-taker, someone with a high degree of novelty-seeking behavior. In short, what we seek in leaders is often the same kind of personality type that is found in addicts, whether they are dependent on gambling, alcohol, sex or drugs."

Cuomo’s Presidential Moment Forms Contrast With Obama; New York Times, 6/25/11

Nate Silver, New York Times; Cuomo’s Presidential Moment Forms Contrast With Obama:

"I’m generally of the view that individual politicians receive both more credit and more blame than they deserve, with legislative and electoral outcomes usually determined by broad cultural, economic and political undercurrents. But the type of leadership that Mr. Cuomo exercised — setting a lofty goal, refusing to take no for an answer and using every tool at his disposal to achieve it — is reminiscent of the stories sometimes told about with President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had perhaps the most impressive record of legislative accomplishment of any recent president."

Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle; New York Times, 7/20/11

Jennifer Preston, New York Times; Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle:

"A year-old start-up, Social Intelligence, scrapes the Internet for everything prospective employees may have said or done online in the past seven years.

Then it assembles a dossier with examples of professional honors and charitable work, along with negative information that meets specific criteria: online evidence of racist remarks; references to drugs; sexually explicit photos, text messages or videos; flagrant displays of weapons or bombs and clearly identifiable violent activity."

Corner Office: Interview with Kathy Button Bell, vice president and chief marketing officer of Emerson; New York Times, 7/2/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Kathy Button Bell, vice president and chief marketing officer of Emerson: Endurance on the Field, and at Work:

"Q. How do you find [people who have empathy] in an interview?

A. I think you can feel empathy pretty fast from people. I think you can also tell by what kind of jobs they’ve had, and what they liked. You get at someone’s personal values a little bit.

I would actually say that most of the time when you have a failed employee, it’s a person who lacks empathy, and they didn’t hear what the organization was telling them. They don’t hear the cues. Lots of very smart people lack empathy. They’re able to test their way through life and get A’s. No one tests you on empathy. You can also learn a lot about somebody from the questions they ask you."

Harvard Business Review; Barnes & Noble's Smart Strategy, 6/29/11

Stephen Wunker, Harvard Business Review; Barnes & Noble's Smart Strategy:

"Faced with an eroding core business, most companies seem to do...nothing...

Barnes & Noble (B&N), America's largest bookseller, is bucking these trends."

Note to Staff: We’re a Team, Not a Family; Corner Office, New York Times, 5/15/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Note to Staff: We’re a Team, Not a Family: Interview with Linda Lausell Bryant, executive director of Inwood House in New York:

"Q. How has your leadership style evolved?

A. Recently, I’ve really shifted my thinking. Our culture reflected our work, which is to create a sense of family for our teens. So our staff would say: “We’re a family. We’re a family.” And I’ve actually said directly to everyone in all-staff meetings: “We’re not a family, because in a family you never can fire somebody like your Uncle Joe. You just can’t. You have to put up with him because he’s family. In an organization, if someone is taking the organization down, we can’t accept that because the organization is bigger than any one of us.”

So I’ve said to them that the analogy that best suits us is, “We’re a team,” and in a team, everybody’s got a role to play. And the team wins when everybody plays their roles to their best ability."

Stopping Theft at Work; Harvard Business Review, 5/11/11

Nilofer Merchant, Harvard Business Review; Stopping Theft at Work:

"Being good is not enough. You gotta tell others. If this is hard for you to accept, remember what Muhammad Ali said: "It's not bragging if you can back it up." When someone else takes credit for our work, the reason it stings is because they've stolen a bit of our power. And we let them."

The No-Drama Rule of Management; Harvard Business Review, 6/10/10

Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review; The No-Drama Rule of Management:

"Avi demonstrated the new rules of professionalism in an open work place. Be calm. Be supportive of others. Show leadership by avoiding — and, when necessary, actively managing — drama that could distract, embarrass, or unsettle others. And never, ever be the cause of that drama yourself."

Feel Like a Wallflower? Maybe It’s Your Facebook Wall; New York Times, 4/9/11

Jenna Wortham, New York Times; Feel Like a Wallflower? Maybe It’s Your Facebook Wall:

"My problem is emblematic of the digital era. It’s known as FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” and refers to the blend of anxiety, inadequacy and irritation that can flare up while skimming social media like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram...

SHERRY TURKLE, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of “Alone Together,” says that as technology becomes ever more pervasive, our relationship to it becomes more intimate, granting it the power to influence decisions, moods and emotions...

We are struggling with the always-on feeling of connection that the Internet can provide, she said, and we still need to figure out how to limit its influence on our lives. I asked Professor Turkle what people could do to deal with this stress-inducing quandary. She said she would tell herself to “get a grip and separate myself from my iPhone.”"

Erasing the Digital Past; New York Times, 4/1/11

Nick Bilton, New York Times; Erasing the Digital Past:

"The company he used, Reputation.com, is among a growing corps of online reputation managers that promise to make clients look better online. In an age when a person’s reputation is increasingly defined by Google, Facebook and Twitter, these services offer what is essentially an online makeover, improving how someone appears on the Internet, usually by spotlighting flattering features and concealing negative ones.

“The Internet has become the go-to resources to destroy someone’s life online, which in turn means their offline life gets turned upside, too,” said Michael Fertik, the chief executive of Reputation.com, which is in Redwood City, Calif., and is among the largest in this field. “We’ve reached a point where the Internet has become so complicated, vast and fast-paced, that people can’t control it by themselves anymore. They now need an army of technologists to back them up online.”"

A Simple Communication Mistake to Avoid; Harvard Business Review, 4/8/11

Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review; A Simple Communication Mistake to Avoid:

"The solution is simple: When you have a strong reaction to something, take a deep breath and ask yourself a single question: what's going on for the other person?

Then, based on your answer, ask yourself one more question: What can I do or say that will help them?"

[Podcast] Life 'In The Plex': The Future Of Google; NPR's Morning Edition, 2011

[Podcast] NPR's Morning Edition; Life 'In The Plex': The Future Of Google:

""We'll expect more of what they call 'moon shots' from Google. These are things that most outsiders would say is beyond what Google should be doing,"
he says. "The idea of 'sticking to your knitting,' which is a big cliche in the corporate world, is something that is very alien to Larry. So whether its scanning all the books in the world or, more recently, developing cars that drive themselves ... these are the kind of things that interest Larry. And in another sense, we will see things like applying novel ways to controlling a multibillion-dollar company. For instance, just since he's been announced to be the CEO, he's really taken over in that role already, and has had innovations ? the key managers, the different divisions of Google all get together a few afternoons a week and work together as if in a war room situation.""

Facebook comments and the NLRB; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/4/11

Antoinette Oliver, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Facebook comments and the NLRB:

"Employers must take care that newly developed social media policies give due consideration to employees' protected National Labor Relations Act rights.

At the same time, employees should remember that neither the National Labor Relations Act nor any other law permits them to defame their employers. There are limits to their social media posting just as there are to other more traditional avenues of expression."

Corner Office, What’s the Mission? Your Troops Want to Hear It From You; New York Times, 3/26/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Doreen Lorenzo, president of Frog Design, an innovation firm in San FranciscoWhat’s the Mission? Your Troops Want to Hear It From You:

"Q. So how do you hire?

A. There’s a certain type of personality you look for, because the business changes so rapidly and it moves so fast. As I always say, “Jump on the train, it doesn’t stop.” So you’re looking for people who are, obviously, very talented, very smart, who like process but understand that process has to change, and who are very eclectic in their thoughts and are passionate. I look for people who have that sensibility. They come from diverse industries. They have conquered something.

They have to be very articulate, because, in our business, you have to explain complicated ideas that have never been done before."

Using Stories to Persuade; Harvard Business Review, 3/24/11

John Baldoni, Harvard Business Review; Using Stories to Persuade:

"Effective storytelling can serve anyone in leadership who seeks to persuade others to his or her point of view. Opinion-based rhetoric is often more polarizing than persuasive, while statistics are often go in one ear and out the other. But a careful blending of rhetoric and facts, woven into the right story, can change minds.

Shaping an effective story with a point of view is a learned skill. Here are some suggestions..."

Former Marine Corps Leader to Head Financially Troubled Birmingham-Southern College; Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/21/11

Jack Stripling, Chronicle of Higher Education; Former Marine Corps Leader to Head Financially Troubled Birmingham-Southern College:

"Mr. Law, who has studied military leaders for his scholarship on the history of terrorism, said he saw a lot of benefits in General Krulak's background.

"You have to be political" as a military leader, Mr. Law said. "You have to be diplomatic, and you have to be a good manager of an organization. You have to be able to articulate that organization's mission very well.""

Don't Be Nice; Be Helpful; Harvard Business Review, 3/16/11

Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review; Don't Be Nice; Be Helpful:

"Giving people feedback is an act of trust and confidence. It shows that you believe in their ability to change. That you believe they will use the information to become better. And that you have faith in their potential. It's also a sign of commitment to the team and to the larger purpose and goals of the organization. Because, ultimately, we're all responsible for our collective success."

Sleep is More Important than Food; Harvard Business Review, 3/3/11

Tony Schwartz, Harvard Business Review; Sleep is More Important than Food:

"In Anders Ericcson's famous study of violinists, the top performers slept an average of 8 ½ hours out of every 24, including a 20 to 30 minute midafternoon nap some 2 hours a day more than the average American.

The top violinists also reported that except for practice itself, sleep was second most important factor in improving as violinists."

A Changed Starbucks. A Changed C.E.O.; New York Times, 3/12/11

Claire Cain Miller, New York Times; A Changed Starbucks. A Changed C.E.O. :

"“There’s been more arguing, challenging and debate in the last two to three years than there’s ever been,” says Mr. Alstead, the chief financial officer.

Mr. Schultz’s take: “What leadership means is the courage it takes to talk about things that, in the past, perhaps we wouldn’t have, because I’m not right all the time.”

Born entrepreneurs are not necessarily born managers. You need creativity and drive to start a company, discipline and delegation to run one. In the last year, people who work closely with Mr. Schultz say, he has shown he can make the leap."