TALENT: GET WHAT YOU NEED

“Money or not, it still comes down to your ability to evaluate talent.”

—Brian Sabean, San Francisco Giants general manager

BUILD ON YOUR STRENGTHS

A fan asked Yankee coach Don Zimmer, “What makes Joe Torre such a good manager?” Zimmer replied, “Good players.”2 He was only half-serious. Zimmer knows you can’t win without the right players, but he thinks Torre’s a terrific manager. Still, not every coach wins with great talent.

The upside of our mobile economy is that talent will move in good times or bad. People will come to work for you when you offer the right inducements. One huge inducement is the opportunity to win.

Ernie Accorsi, general manager of the New York Giants said, “Because of free agency, players are here because they want to be here. It’s not like you draft them, and they have no choice. They don’t come here . . . if they don’t think they have a chance to win.”3 Highly skilled employees are just like free agents in sports. Your critical tasks are to know what you need to win and pick the best people who fit your team.

ENGAGING LEADERSHIP

“He thinks group, but he always sees individuals.”

—Former Senator Bill Bradley, describing his friend Phil Jackson’s coaching style1

THE THRILL OF VICTORY

Ever wonder why some teams just keep winning? Consider this:

• In October 2000, the majestic New York Yankees won the World Series against their hated crosstown rivals, the Mets. This was the Yanks’ 26th championship, far more than any other baseball team, and more than any pro team in any sport. It was also the 4th time in five years that the Yankees won the Series, all under the calm and responsive leadership of manager Joe Torre. In 2001, an aging Yankees team made it to the World Series again, defeating powerful Oakland and Seattle teams before falling to a tremendously tough Arizona team in seven incredible games. The Yankees had the best record in baseball and made the playoffs again in 2002, losing in the first round. Torre’s streak ranked with the best of the great New York teams throughout baseball history.

WHAT ARE LEADERSHIP STYLES?

Leadership styles are reflected in behaviors and attitudes, but these in turn are the outcome of complex interactions between the way we think and feel. looks at what this means by:

» explaining how these interactions work;

» providing a definition of leadership style; and

» looking at how far we can adapt our styles, without acting out of character.

‘‘Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage that will endure. That’s because leadership has two sides – what a person is (character) and what a person does (competence).’’

Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

At one level, the concept of ‘‘leadership style’’ is simple to define: it is the style that a leader adopts in their dealings with those who follow them. Clearly, underlying this is an assumption that there is a ‘‘right’’ and a ‘‘wrong’’ style.

IN PRACTICE – SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP STYLES

What makes for effective leadership style? looks at three very different forms of successful leadership style. It explains and draws lessons from:

» David Simon of BP – the diplomatic transformer;

» KonosukeMatsushita ofMatsushita Electric – the leader-philosopher; and

» Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines – the servant leader.

‘‘People with different personalities, different approaches, different values succeed not because one set of values or practices is superior, but because their values and practices are genuine.’’

Herb Kelleher, CEO Southwest Airlines