ET CITINGS

BEING THE BOSS: 3 IMPERATIVES FOR BECOMING A GREAT LEADER

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| Author: Linda A Hill |

It's a common mistake to think management is defined by formal authority — the ability that comes with a title to impose your will on others. In fact, formal authority is a useful but limited tool. You may think people are perverse or stubborn, but there are many reasons they don't always follow your instructions. They disagree with you. They think there's a better way and feel free to exercise their own judgement. They think something else is more important... Managing people primarily by exercising your formal authority is far less likely than a more open approach to capture that full value.

Insisting on “I'm the boss!” places a huge burden on you. The head of a large high-tech company told us of a discussion she once had with her head of HR. Her company had installed a program to encourage broader participation in decision-making, and she was frustrated that product development seemed to be moving too slowly. “Maybe we have to go back to the old command-and-control system,” she said. “If that's what you want,” said the HR person, “I'll help you. But you have to be right all the time.”

Laughing, the CEO said, “I'll never forget what he said. I told him, 'That's never going to work.' “No one person can possibly possess the knowledge, experience, and wisdom needed to make every decision... Less authority-driven organisations are more likely to elicit and take full advantage of the talent and experience of their people.

Amazon review page of the book. 5 star rated.