Monthly Archives: August 2007

Now Let’s Talk About Me…

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Imagine this newsletter I received today.

  • Nine bullet-pointed links
  • Five points start with the company name
  • Three more continue the hard sell, but manage to refrain from mentioning the name
  • A final point mentioning a recently-released study may be of interest to their target audience, but by this point it’s obvious where this item will be headed as well

If they’re this self-centered when they’re trying to woo you, what will their priorities be after you sign? This is a relatively successful firm, and the attitude they typify is also one of the reasons management consultants have a less than stellar reputation.  This attitude is also what motivates many consultants to venture out to start their own firm. We believe our clients are our number one priority. Through service to them we hope to remove some of the tarnish on our profession, one client at a time.

Modern Day Mentor Assignment

Modern Day Mentor Assignment

Having lunch with a friend the other day, he mentioned the number of people he has been assigned to mentor recently at his Fortune 500 company. My friend is responsible. He travels frequently for his job, and makes a point of meeting with his mentees in person at least once a month. He takes his mentor responsibility seriously, and you can tell when he talks about it that he cares what happens to these people. Nonetheless, his company “assigned” his mentees to him the same way that many companies do now, sort of like an online dating service. “Oh, you went to the same college…”, or majored in the same subject, or take your pick of many factors. Like many online dating sites, they may look for matches in characteristcis, but that’s no guarantee the relationship will work. This WSJ article (subscription may be required) highlights the shift from the old mentor paradigm to the new one born of overworked executives often with little time or incentive to invest their time or reputation in the careers of others. Can it work? In my opinion it’s probably similar to arranged marriages. It can work, sometimes beautifully, but most often results are disappointing and everyone involved suffers.

Scientific American Mind: The New Psychology of Leadership — Recent research in psychology points to secrets of effective leadership that radically challenge conventional wisdom

Scientific American Mind: The New Psychology of Leadership — Recent research in psychology points to secrets of effective leadership that radically challenge conventional wisdom

According to a synthesis of new research, effective leadership is as much about those who are being led as it is the leader. We need to perceive our leaders as “one of us”. This helps to explain variations in leadership attributes, including the born versus made debate. A leader’s power comes from framing perceptions in ways that support achieving desired goals, gaining the deeds and words of followers without need for reward or punishment. Is this research consistent with your experiences?

Office Tyrants

Office Tyrants

Ever had to grovel for the most basic things at the office, just so work will get done? This Cubicle Culture article takes a look at the little things that can send productivity and morale into a tailspin. If more managers paid attention to the informal networks of power, think what we could do without even touching ERP, supply chain optimization, or perhaps even the first sigma?